Vast green area in Mandur gutted, activists cry foul

PANAJI: In a fire that may have raged for a couple of days, an extensive patch of green area in Mandur and Neura villages on the southern part of the Kadamba plateau was devastated on the weekend.
After being tipped off, a fire tender from Old Goa rushed to the spot and battled the fire for about four hours on Sunday.
Suspicions have been raised about the cause of the fire as some workers were spotted clearing bushes in the area. The smoke was seen first on a large parcel of land belonging to the Mandur comunidade, and it then spread to a bigger property close to it.
“The bigger property is privately owned, and this appears to be a deliberate attempt to destroy the green area for development,” alleged Ramrao Wagh, a local politician and activist. The whole area is part of a thick forest, including areas demarcated as private forests, and is rich in flora and fauna. Reptiles, wild boars and other wildlife are spotted in this area.
Forest department officials have also carried out an inspection of the destruction, but no details were available.