Panaji: Goa Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday announced that the state government is in the final stages of completing the private forest identification exercise and will submit its final report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the end of July or the first week of August.
Rane said hearings conducted by the Forest Department are almost complete, and after filing the report before the NGT, the government will also inform the Supreme Court.
The minister said the state has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the exclusion of any land from the identified private forest areas. According to him, all 554 survey numbers have been included in the affidavit, giving them an added layer of legal protection.
He added that these lands are also protected under Section 39(A) of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, where they have been classified as No Development Areas (NDA), preventing future land conversion.
Calling Section 39(A) a major step towards environmental conservation, Rane said it would safeguard Goa’s ecologically sensitive lands for future generations and end indiscriminate land conversions.
The minister also highlighted that the government has recently notified 89.65 lakh square metres of land as No Development Zone (NDZ), including Vagheri Hill in Sattari, which has been declared an ecologically vulnerable area.
He said ecologically sensitive regions along the Mandovi and Zuari rivers will also be notified under Section 39(A) based on recommendations from the Forest Department.
Rane further stated that the Town and Country Planning Department will no longer issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for development activities in private forests, eco-sensitive areas, khazan lands, and low-lying fields.
According to the minister, these measures will provide long-term protection to Goa’s fragile ecosystems while preventing unregulated development.
