Revoke Permissions To Divert Forest Land Demand Goa Youths As Fight To Save Mollem Continues

Hundreds of young citizens of Goa who have been protesting against the three proposed projects have submitted a letter to the Chief Minister at the Secretariat as well as the Forest Department to revoke the land diversion within and outside Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.

Save Mollem

"The clearances given for the three linear infrastructure projects in Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary should be immediately stopped,¡± the memorandum stated.

This comes even as the High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed the construction license for the project granted by Mollem village panchayat to The Goa Tamnar Transmission Project Limited.

Save Mollem

The court observed that the permission was granted by the sarpanch without a resolution passed by the panchayat body.

Mollem village located at the foothills of the Western Ghats and surrounded with protected forests has emerged as a focal point for agitation against three Central government projects such as double-tracking of a South Western Railway track, expansion of a National Highway 4A and a private power project.

Save Mollem

According to the Opposition and civil society groups, the three projects are being executed to facilitate additional transportation of coal through Goa to steel mills in Bellary.

Recently, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that the state pollution control authority has been directed to submit a report on coal pollution in the state, amid increasing demands from the opposition as well as the ruling MLAs for shutting down transportation of coal cargo via road and rail through the state.

Save Mollem

"I have given an assurance that 50 per cent coal will be reduced. I have asked the Goa State Pollution Control Board to submit a report on (coal) pollution within eight to 10 days. Once the report is submitted, I will take a decision," Sawant had said.