CM sees ‘foreign hand’ in protest against central government projects along Goa-Karnataka border

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday blamed the proverbial ‘foreign hand’ for protests against three central government projects in reserved forest areas along the Goa-Karnataka border, saying NRIs who have no knowledge about the state, are unnecessarily adding to the shrill protest against the BJP-led coalition government’s efforts for the development of the state.

Sawant’s comments come on the heels of severe criticism of the state government vis a vis three central government projects along the forested Goa-Karnataka border, for which nearly 50,000 trees are expected to be axed in Goa’s territory.

Speaking at a state government function organised at the Chief Minister’s official residence on Thursday, Sawant said: “We want power and water 24x7. We want good transport and road facilities. And at the same time, we also need a good environment. Government is not keen on destroying the environment. We want to preserve it. if we cut 10 trees, we replant 100 trees. People do not understand this”.

“The opposition is coming from (people in) Africa, England and Russia. Those who have not seen Goa and Mollem, are now commenting about it from foreign countries. On the other hand, those who stay in Mollem, say that if the road is widened it will be beneficial to them,” the Chief Minister also said.

The 50,000 trees located in the Western Ghat area have been slotted for felling for multiple central government projects, which include expansion of railway lines and highways and drawing of a new high tension power, spread across the two wildlife reserves, which are two of the biggest protected forests in the state. The projects have already been cleared by the National Wildlife Board for Wildlife in April this year.

Two weeks back, the Bombay High Court in Goa had issued notices to state government as well as central government agencies, following a petition which alleged that proper procedures were not followed in the course of clearing the projects.

Goa leader of opposition Digambar Kamat has also written to National Wildlife Board urging it to scrap the three projects, which the former Chief Minister said would destroy Goa’s forest cover and disturb the habitat of protected wildlife species including the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Great Indian bison etc.

Goa’s tourism industry stakeholders, as well as green activists and NRIs of Goan origin, have been campaigning for the scrapping of the three projects.