Team Herald
PANJIM: After ravaging forest fires have literally destroyed what would have been the active oath for tigers in a future tiger reserve, the government has appointed a committee to supposedly “address issues”.
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This appears nothing but a delaying tactic, in getting to the actual root of who pulled the trigger to start the fires.
Thus far it has not named those who started the fire, why it took days to control it and why is there no guarantee that there will no construction and development work in and around the area for a period of 15 years at least to allow the forest to breathe and grow again.
The issues that the committee plans to address are those “arising out of forest fires and for effective implementation of the action plan”.
An 11-member committee headed by the Forest Minister has been constituted to oversee the implementation of the centrally sponsored- Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme (FPM).
The State Level Monitoring Committee comprises the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Chief Wildlife Warden, Chief Conservator of Forest, Conservator of Forest, District Collectors, Director of Fire and Emergency Services and Deputy Conservator of Forest for North and South and Working plan division.
About 4.18 square kilometres of forest area including 2.27 sq km in three Wildlife Sanctuaries were affected due to recent 74 sporadic fire incidents reported in private land, reserve forests, comunidade land and protected areas across the State last month.
Of the total 74 fire incidents reported during the first fortnight of March, 32 fire incidents were reported in three Wildlife Sanctuaries.
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Why is there absolute radio silence on naming the individuals who started the fire?
Did anyone give orders to some villagers to start the fire to clear the way for cashew plantations and the plan backfired?
Who will stand to benefit from these fires especially since it appears (could be a coincidence) that the fire path and the proposed tiger movement corridor are totally aligned?
What does the government have to say?
The silence is not surprising since the Forest Dept and minister are anyway of the opinion that tigers come and go from Goa and don’t really belong here
