Lost 50,000 trees at Mopa, but govt planted 5 lakh: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday that while 50,000 trees have been cut down for the construction of the new airport at Mopa, the state government has planted 5 lakh trees.
The chief minister hit out at environmentalists and NGOs for opposing various projects in the name of the environment, but not planting a single tree in Goa.
Addressing the airport-affected people at Mopa, Sawant said that all projects related to the airport would be completed with their support. “It is not that only we want to complete the airport, we also want the development of Mopa village, Pernem taluka and the state, and the state (government) is working in this direction,” he said.
Taking another dig at environmentalists for “not planting a single tree”, he said that the five lakh trees the government planted would also be nurtured by the government. “We have planted fruit-bearing trees so that it keeps the environmental balance,” he said. Sawant said that just the way Mopa has now become popular, the state government wants development for the people of Pernem.