PORVORIM: St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar raised serious allegations of a Rs 500 crore scam involving illegal tree cutting and land conversion for a mega housing project in Azossim-Mandur, Tiswadi taluka.
Borkar, who posed a starred question, pointed out that trees were felled on land identified as a private forest, where tree cutting is prohibited. He revealed that approximately 30,000 square metres of the total 3.6 lakh square metres of land had been subdivided and converted into plots. He questioned how the government authorities allowed tree cutting in a private forest area.
In response, CM P Sawant stated that the Forest Department’s demarcation team had identified 3.33 hectares as a private forest, and the report was submitted to the Bombay High Court in June 2008. Additionally, a Review Committee chaired by DCF (WP) later finalised an additional 3.92 hectares, totalling 7.341 hectares designated as private forest in Survey No.8/1 of Azossim-Mandur village. The report was subsequently accepted by the National Green Tribunal in an order dated August 18, 2020.
However, MLA Borkar contested the Chief Minister’s explanation, asserting that the land conversion took place during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2019. He demanded a vigilance probe into this incident, calling it a sordid affair.
