Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Eighteen of the 29 mangrove-related offence cases registered by the Goa Forest Department between January 2022 and January 2025 are yet to be completed, according to information placed before the Goa Legislative Assembly.
The cases concern alleged damage to mangroves through activities such as cutting, uprooting and trimming of trees. One of the cases also relates to the dumping of concrete waste into a canal, which obstructed the movement of water and was followed by the death of mangroves in the affected stretch.
The information was furnished by Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane through two annexures submitted to the Assembly earlier this month.
Of the total cases listed, six have been compounded and three have completed inquiries. Two others are at the concluding stage of inquiry, while the remaining 18 continue to be investigated.
The reported incidents are spread across several parts of Goa, including Morambi-o-Grande, Carmona, Curtorim, Arambol, Aradi, Corlim, Candolim, Curca, Khandola, St Estevem, Tarvalem, Siolim, Loliem, Poinguinim, Pernem, Aldona, Ribandar, Raia and Deussua.
The case records indicate that some individual incidents involved dozens of mangrove trees. Khandola accounted for 100 allegedly affected mangroves in one case, while 86 were listed in a case from Tarvalem in Shiroda. Corlim recorded 52 and Candolim 49.
At Morambi-o-Grande, one case involved 41 trees, of which 37 were mangroves, over an area of approximately 300 square metres. Another case from the same locality involved 29 mangroves. At Curca, 27 mangroves were allegedly felled.
The numbers in the Forest Department’s annexure represent trees linked to individual offence cases and should not be read as an overall assessment of mangrove loss across Goa.
The department has reported collecting Rs 90,890 in penalties in six cases. The individual amounts ranged between Rs 6,050 and Rs 29,800, with the records showing the full amount recovered and no dues pending.
The same annexure marks recovery action and convictions as “NA” in each of the six cases where penalties were imposed.
The Assembly response also highlights a gap in the restoration framework. The government said the Goa Preservation of Tree Act, 1984, contains no provision for issuing a specific “restoration order”. No figures have been provided on the area of mangroves restored or on monitoring of restoration undertaken in connection with the cases.
When asked whether the government had prepared or proposed a comprehensive plan covering mangrove conservation, expansion, prevention of destruction and mandatory restoration, along with a timeline and budget, the response was recorded as “NIL”.
The Forest Department also did not furnish year-wise mangrove cover data for the Mandovi, Zuari, Chapora, Sal and Terekhol estuaries sought in the Assembly question. It instead referred to the India State of Forest Report of the Forest Survey of India, which uses satellite imagery along with ground verification for its assessment.
