Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa today directed the state to have further safeguards in place for the remaining trees following the partial cutting of a Banyan that was meant for translocation as part of the Porvorim elevated corridor project.
The petitioner will implead the transplantation agency, Doctor Trees, as a respondent to the petition for the sake of having more clarity on the transplantation process of the six trees including three Banyans and a Peepal tree.
The petition was filed to place accountability on the replantation of over 1800 trees in view of the 612 trees that will be cut for the project. The case has been adjourned till Monday.
The government was questioned by the high court on the partial cutting down of a banyan tree that was on the list of trees that needed to be moved.
The user agency responsible for building the flyover at Porvorim informed the HC that the tree had been partially chopped down. The fact that the blame was being shifted from one authority to another infuriated the HC.
During the hearing, the HC bench said, “To touch those trees is none of your business.”
The bench noted that the court had relied on government officials to ensure that the trees designated for relocation would remain unaltered. The project’s contractor was called before the court, and he stated that the PWD had designated a translocation agency.
When the tree was hacked, translocation specialists weren’t there, senior attorney Norma Alvares informed the court. The HC went on to state that if authorities do not reveal the culprit, an investigation would be ordered and that the contractor will be held accountable.
Together with attorneys Om D’Costa and Malisa Simoes, Alvares sought the court to obtain an assurance from the contractor that no trees intended for relocation would be harmed.
