NT NETWORK
Margao/Panaji
Assuring to resolve the conflict between forest officials and forest dwellers, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the process to settle claims under Forest Rights Act will be expedited for which the government will soon appoint
surveyors.
Speaking after inaugurating the 4th Bird Festival at Mollem, the Chief Minister said a meeting of the Forest department was called on Thursday and directions have been issued to expedite the process of settling claims of forest dwellers.
The Chief Minister further assured that his government is more concerned than anybody else on saving Mollem.
“We inaugurated the bio-diversity park today as well as are hosting the Bird Festival in Mollem, which is a clear example to show how much we love our biodiversity and forests. I want to tell everyone that we are more concerned about Mollem and Goa. Mollemkars and Goemkars are strong enough to save Mollem,” he said.
PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar, PCCF Subhaash Chandra, CCF Santosh Kumar and other officials of Forest department were present at the function.
Goa Forest Department is celebrating 4th Bird Festival of Goa, 2021 at Mollem, Dharbandora from February 5-7. Around 100 delegates from Goa and other states are participating.
As part of pre-festival activity an awareness vehicle rally was organised from Quepem Municipality to Mollem to spread the message
of conservation.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, inaugurating Biodiversity Park at Mollem, maintained that any project coming up in Mollem will definitely help the development of the village by generating more employment
for locals.
Earlier in the day, addressing a function organised by the United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) at the Ravindra Bhavan hall, Margao, Sawant said that since he took over the reins of the state, 30 forest right cases have been settled due to the efforts of the Minister for Tribal Welfare Govind Gaude.
Sawant further said that reservations and promotions to ST employees will strictly be done under the roster management system that was initiated by his government.
Commenting on the ST leaders’ demand of political reservations, the Chief Minister said that he will try to convince the Centre to consider
the demand.
The Chief Minister said that those people staying in London and those sitting in air-conditioned rooms in other cities should not tell him how to save Mollem since he has seen how the rural people struggle to make ends meet.
Minister for Tribal Welfare Govind Gaude, and Prakash Velip, who was elected as the UTAA president again,
also spoke.
