Team Herald
PANJIM: The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) will hold site inspection in January, next month, of all the three infrastructure projects- double tracking of railway lines, power transmission and national highway expansion- passing through the protected areas of Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.
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The CEC, which is currently conducting hearings in the complaint filed by the Goa Foundation, against the approvals granted to the infrastructure projects by the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBW), has come down heavily on the State and Central authorities pointing that it has received large number of complaints against these projects, which are being strongly opposed by the locals.
In a press statement issued by the Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares, it is informed that the CEC during the hearings announced that it would be visiting Goa for site inspections of all the three projects in January, 2021. The CEC has so far conducted two hearings on the complaint.
“Despite the complaint being filed in June 2020, the lawyers and officials appearing for the three projects did not have adequate or ready information when queried by the CEC. The standard answer was that they would consult, or submit the information,” Alvares said.
Alvares said the CEC, during the hearing made it clear that it had received large numbers complaints against the three projects and that Goa being a small State, it is necessary to “proceed with caution”.
“The CEC emphasised that the proposed areas area Western Ghat terrain, tiger territory and therefore it is important to ensure there was no damage,” Alvares said.
Alvares said the CEC in their preliminary observation raised strong question over need for double tracking of railway lines, when the export of iron ore is hardly much and Goa Chief Minister has announced to reduce coal handling by half in the State.
The CEC, he also said, was of the view as why Konkan Railway underutilised so many other routes. “CEC stressed on the need to see what is the demand of Goa,” he said.
In relation to the highway expansion project, the CEC found it difficult to understand how Karnataka is restricting road width to the existing 12 metres whereas Goa wants to increase it to 24 metres.
The CEC asked the Public Works Department to produce the order issued by the Ministry of Surface Transport to NHAI in relation to the entire project that is from Belgaum to Panjim.
