MOLLEM: On the 28th of March, 2022 a new government is being sworn in Goa. Here are a few things to remember about how to hold our elected representatives and government accountable in their next tenure:
In the past the Goa government has tried to feign ignorance about Mollem projects as being “Central projects”.
The new government has to be reminded of the seventh schedule of the Constitution of India. Forest and wildlife appear on the concurrent list, thus the State and Centre has equal power to take decisions on them.
Infact before the Mollem proposals went to the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife approval (that is now being challenged in various courts) was sent by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State of Goa.
Here’s a step-by-step guide of how the Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, his cabinet and MLAs in the opposition can take responsibility for Mollem:
Step 1:
The Chief Minister of Goa is also the Chairperson of the State Wildlife Advisory Board. He can send an immediate representation to the Union Minister of Environment and Forests who is the Chairperson of the National Board of Wildlife to scrap the wildlife clearances granted to the three linear infrastructure projects.
Step 2:
He needs to send a similar representation to the Regional Committee of Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change at Bengaluru to ask them to quash the forest clearances granted for the areas outside.
Step 3:
Apart from these two relatively simple and straight forward letters, he can direct the Goa Forest Department not to issue any work orders to fell trees for the Goa Tamnar transmission line and to stop-all work related to railway double tracking on non-forest land.
Step 4:
To sum up the final and easiest step to revoke these clearances, as the Chief Minister he needs to direct the Goa Forest Department to return these proposals back to Goa Tamnar, South Western Railways and the PWD.
