On an application filed by three Tiracol villagers and the Goa Foundation, the NGT has directed status quo on the lands involved in the Tiracol golf course project. The application for restraining Leading Hotels (the golf resort owners) from felling any trees was made in the appeal proceedings pending before the tribunal.
The appellants came to know that the Forest Department of Goa had issued permission to the golf resort owners (Leading Hotels) to fell 155 trees from a survey number that has been identified as forest by the North Goa Expert Committee on Private Forests. Plots covered under survey numbers 4, 5 and 6, declared “forest” by the forest committee. The permission had been issued after the plot had been identified as forest.
The project proponents were not allowed to even touch anything any further. Now they have created a road on Survey No.6 violating the status quo order, bypassing the panchayat and everybody
There is also a status quo order issued by the Administrative Tribunal Goa, passed by it on an appeal filed by one of the tenants of Survey.No.6/1. This is the second order to be violated.
