MARGAO: There was an uproar in Navelim when the contractor of the Water Resources Department (WRD) commenced cutting trees around Jackniband without proper permissions during the ongoing desilting works of River Sal.
Residents living in close proximity to the area were the first to witness the distressing sight of numerous trees being felled to clear a path for the contractor’s machinery to maneuver from one point to another.
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Alarmed by the situation, the locals promptly contacted the Navelim Village Development Committee, prompting the Sarpanch to visit the site. The workers involved in the tree cutting were requested to provide the necessary permissions obtained from the Forest Department.
To everyone’s dismay, it was revealed that the contractor had carried out the tree cutting without any valid permissions. This revelation ignited fury among the residents, and the WRD engineer was summoned to address the matter. The engineer admitted that it was a grave mistake on the part of the contractor to proceed with the tree cutting without proper authorisation.
The Navelim village Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) also criticised the authorities for not working in coordination, adding they have been carrying out research to compile the People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) of the village, while the authorities have mercilessly destroyed the biodiversity at Jackniband.
