PANJIM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday ordered Leading Hotels to pay Rs 5 lakh as penalty for felling trees on May 14/15 in Tiracol.
The amount that is to be deposited in an escrow account, a temporary account till the final hearing, was imposed on the developers for felling trees without permissions. Leading Hotels have been directed to file their response on the tree felling allegation within three weeks.
The tribunal took the tree felling issue seriously and imposed the fine on Leading Hotels and one P Ravi whose name features in the forest panchanama of the same day.
NGT had also asked for the panchanama conducted by the Forest Department, which was not submitted at the previous hearing, but was presented by a forest official at Monday’s hearing. Based on the report, the tribunal came to a conclusion prima facie that the company had violated the tribunal order.
Further, the tribunal has also sought a copy of the police FIR filed on the same day as well as a list of the vehicles used in the property. Additionally, a Leading Hotels representative P Ravi was ordered to remain present in the NGT building as punishment.
Petitioner, Goa Foundation has in addition to the tree felling issue, also raised events that occurred in Tiracol after the initial May 14/15 entry into the village.
Speaking to Herald, the Foundation’s executive secretary Claude Alvares said, “After the events of May 14 and 15, they continued to develop the area. It is therefore important to add these events to the existing case.”
They have therefore filed an added affidavit on the destruction of the village post the May 14/15 tree felling case.
