Tottewada’s mangrove trees gone? CM’s eco-sensitive promise comes a cropper By Franky Gracias PANJIM, MAY 14
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s verbal assurances to the Goa Bachao Abhiyan of not allowing cutting of mangroves in eco-sensitive zones has come a cropper as a 500-metre stretch touching the banks of river Mandovi at Tottewada, Naroa in Bicholim have been felled for a commercial project while the authorities concerned have turned a Nelson’s eye to the wanton destruction.
Journalists who visited the spot on Friday walked the stretch and got to see for themselves the felling of a huge number of mangrove trees in the eco-fragile area and also witnessed alleged illegal hill-cutting for a road that will facilitate the commercial project.
Inquiries with some of the villagers revealed one Captain Mehta of Panjim-based Sea Scan Marine Services had cleared the pristine mangroves on May 2, 2010, in order to construct a dry dock and a farm house. The villagers revealed Mehta had visited the villagers’ houses promising employment to locals once the dry dock was built.
Villager Sandip Naik who claimed he lost around 1,800 square metres of his property to the hill-cutting said the activity for building the approach road more than a kilometre long has been going on in a portion which is a reserved forest since last year.
“When I approached Captain Mehta and brought to his notice the encroachment and destruction of jackfruit and cashew trees in my property I was told that the activity was legal and he could do what he wants,” Naik maintained.
Captain Mehta has also anchored seven tourist boats on the banks of the river where a miniature ramshackle jetty has been made of bamboo stands.
When press persons accompanied by social activists approached the Naroa Village Panchayat, the Sarpanch, Laxman Malvankar, said no permissions were issued for any of the activity carried out by Mehta but also admitted there was no written complaint made by him for legal action.
Malvankar expressed helplessness to many of the ills going on in the village. “I went to the Bicholim block development officer after learning of the mangrove cutting but got no cooperation from him,” he observed. The panchayat secretary is on leave from March 3, 2010 and till date I haven’t got a replacement, he mentioned.
But when asked whether he had conducted an inspection of the spot and compiled a report after the mangrove cutting came to his knowledge the sarpanch again admitted he had not carried out any such activity which has brought up a question mark on the functional capability of the village panchayat.
It is just today, nearly two weeks after the cutting and burning of the mangroves, the sarpanch drafted a complaint and filed it before the Bicholim police which stated they were verifying the ownership of the property where the violations has taken place before registering a case.
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