Goa to submit final report on pvt forests before NGT by early August: Minister

Panaji, Jul 17 (PTI) The Goa government will submit its final report on the identification and protection of private forests to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by early August, state Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Friday. Rane also said that the state has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court strongly opposing the removal of any land from the identified private forest areas. "The final report on private forests will be filed before the NGT by the end of July or in the first week of August, and intimation will also be given to the Supreme Court. Almost all hearings have been completed," he said in a statement. The minister also announced that the state government has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court opposing the removal of 554 survey numbers identified as private forests, ensuring that none of these parcels can be excluded from protection. "All the 554 survey numbers have been specifically mentioned in the affidavit. They now have two layers of protection," he said. He said the additional protection comes from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, which has brought these areas under the No Development Area (NDA) provisions through Section 39(A) of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act. Describing Section 39(A) as a landmark conservation measure, Rane said it permanently protects ecologically sensitive land from conversion. "Gone are the days when the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department could convert any land. Section 39(A) is a saviour and protector of land. It will protect these areas for posterity," he said. The minister said the government has recently notified 89.65 lakh square metres of land as No Development Zone (NDZ), including Vagheri Hill in Sattari taluka, which the forest department has declared an ecologically vulnerable area. He added that ecologically vulnerable areas along the Mandovi and Zuari rivers would also be notified under Section 39(A) based on the forest department's recommendations. Rane further said the government has decided that the TCP department won't issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for any development in private forests, eco-sensitive areas, khazan lands and low-lying fields. The combined measures taken by the Forest and TCP departments would ensure permanent protection of Goa's ecologically fragile landscapes while preventing indiscriminate land conversion, he said. PTI RPS ARU