PANAJI: A group of youth from Goa has written a public letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde appealing to him to secure and preserve Goa’s biodiversity that is earmarked for the three linear projects. The CJI was in Goa for the inauguration of the new high court building at Porvorim on Saturday.
“We have come as far as we can and will continue to do whatever is possible to protect our heritage, but today we need the support of those who understand the immeasurable and irreplaceable value of our precious wild ecosystems. We hope you will recognise the urgency driving our letter and do what you can to make sure that Goa’s identity and future remain secure at this very critical juncture,” they wrote.
The letter points out that the managers of the three infrastructure projects — the rail double-tracking of Castlerock-Collem-Vasco stretch, four-laning of the Panaji-Belagavi national highway and the 440 KV power project — have applied to cut 38,724 trees, which will lead to severe fragmentation in the National Park and the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, including near the iconic Dudhsagar waterfall.
The letter states that youth of Goa have been writing letters and signing petitions addressed to elected representatives, asking them to “save Mollem from these destructive projects,” but to no avail. They wrote that they have been spreading awareness about the importance of the protected areas and “asking for a vision of development for Goa that is rooted in cultural, scientific and constitutional values,” in an effort to draw attention to the matter.
“We want to live in a Goa that future generations can thrive in, based on the principle of intergenerational equity, which states that natural resources are a shared inheritance,” they wrote.