Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: Causing major ecological damage, three huge Casuarina Trees strategically placed on the Turtle nesting site of Galgibaga shore were chopped down by two privately operated Shack-Owners at Talpona late Saturday night.
The forest (wildlife) department conducted Pachanama took possession of the tree logs and booked two persons Dikshita Komarpant and Tulshidas Komarpant as further investigation is carried out to register necessary FIR on the alleged illegal activity.
According to Forest Department’s RFO Rajesh Naik, as per preliminary enquiry, both Dikshita Komarpant and Tulshidas Komarpant have agreed to carry out the illegality by cutting down the three Casuarina Trees, stating these trees were posing f threat of falling on their Shacks.
“They claimed once a tree branch fell on their shacks and caused damages, and they have even made applications to the panchayat and Dy. Collector about these trees posing danger to their property, and that they received no response. They have also agreed that without waiting for permissions and without completing formalities have cut off the trees for posing danger to their property,” he said.
‘We have conducted the panchanama, and taken their statements as well as the statement of Ward Panch of Poinguinim VP, Further investigation is being carried out and we expect to file an FIR under relevant sections against accused private shack owners for committing the offence of cutting down natural resources and causing destruction in the ecology of the area in two days time’, informed Naik.
It may be recalled that the Forest Department has acquired 17 hectares of land along the Galgibaga coast to create Goa’s first turtle conservation reserve and the coastal stretch extended from to the south of Galgibaga and north –end of Talpona coast.
The Forest department as part of the plan is going to set up a natural incubation centre for turtles, a research centre and other facilities to attract tourists and students created moreover, the forest department as a state-wide coastal plan has planted thousands of Casuarina trees since the 1980s to protect the coast from coastal sand erosions.
Sources pointed out that at Galgibaga alone, besides 40-year-old Casuarina plantations, the Forest department as recently as last year has planted over 1500 plants that thrive on the coastal atmosphere to protect the coast from sand-erosions.
