Mollem Protest in Goa
Hello everyone,
Mankind is the only species on earth evolving and
developing itself exponentially compared to other species. The development is
necessary for survival and for the ease of living. However, we are damaging
others while managing ourselves. Today, my attention had been drawn towards the
ongoing protest in Goa against Mollem Project Goa by one of my friends. I did
the basic research on the ground level and found out some scary problems that might
lead us to serious consequences.
I won’t make the preface long and will give you a brief
introduction about what my today’s article is!!! Today I am going to talk about
the protest going on in Goa against deforestation and about Mollem Project Goa.
The Mollem Project Goa refers to the development of Railway Lines, Transmission
Line and National Highway 4A (NH4A) in Goa. The development is a good thing but
we cannot execute it by damaging our biodiversity!
Several trains carrying Adanis coal stuck in Goa as protestors block railway tracks at Chandor railway crossing.
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) November 2, 2020
Protests to save the Western Ghats from destructive linear projects:
1. Against widening of NH4A
2. Against Railway Double Track
3. Against Transmission Line pic.twitter.com/gn0ExozVrj
The protests are going on in Goa to save the Western Ghats from
destructive projects.
During the lockdown period, National Board for Wildlife took the decision of clearance of forest in Goa. There were more than 30 forests listed in and 2 of them were virtually cleared by National Board for Wildlife. The 2 projects are Mollem National Park, Goa, and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary. The estimated deforestation and damage might blow your mind.
There are about 70 mammal species, 235 bird species, 219 butterfly species, 44 fish species, 45 reptile species, and 27 amphibian species living in both Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary. These forests include 59,024 trees that are going to be cut down. Up to 170 Hectares of the area will be deforested under these three projects. Let me give you a brief about what are the projects announced and how they will damage biodiversity.
Project 1: 4-Laning of National Highway 4A (NH4A)
The first project is based on road transportation which implements
the 4-laning of the road from 2-lanes. The 2-lane road has been going to develop
further to make it 4-lane. The total carriageway of 14m and RoW of 26m, which
directly means that there is not just a widening of roads but includes the
construction of entirely new roads in forests that are untouched until now.
The data reveals that 12,097 trees will be cut down and 31.015
hectares will be deforested from which the Mollem National Park will lose
24.265 hectares and Wildlife Sanctuary will lose 6.75 hectares. It’s difficult
and much laborious to plant and grow 1 hectare of forest and we don’t think
properly before clearing this much of hectares in one go.
Project 2: Construction of Transmission Line
In this project, the transmission line starting from
Narendra village in Dharwad district, Karnataka to Xeldem, Goa. The
transmission line of 400 kV D/C terminates at the 400/220 kV substation in
Xeldem. This project is being carried out by M/s Tamnar Transmission Project
Pvt. Ltd. (Sterlite Power).
Thousands of Goa residents protest at Govt plans to make the state a coal hub: https://t.co/yVosY6mDxO The proposed 400 KV line through a wildlife sanctuary &National Park along the Western Ghats will choke the lungs of Goa. But w/this govt, crony capitalists prevail over people!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 4, 2020
The project is 3.15 km long with 46m of width which will be
constructed through the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary causing a diversion
of 11.54 hectares and cutting of 4139 trees.
The Wildlife Sanctuary will be divided into two parts as a
result of this. The species living in forests generally do not cross the
divisions to go over the other sides. Due to this, the species living over one
side won’t be able to go over the other and vice-versa. This will make their
lives harder.
Project 3: Doubling of Railway Line
The 345 km of the railway line from Castlerock to Kullem is going
to be doubled in this project. This project is being undertaken by M/s Rail
Vikas Nigam Limited (RNVL).
The total number of trees to be cut down due to this project
is 20,758.
We always have taken nature for granted and we are facing
the consequences. Still, we are that species whose eyes are closed. We are
fighting against Climate Change, Global Warming, and major problems over
pollution. What we do for those problems? We call meetings in the UN and take oaths
to protect nature by any means. Just after those meetings, we do exactly the opposite of what was discussed during the meeting. So, basically, mankind is Dog Tail.
Conclusion: Development is necessary but nature is the need. The difference between necessity and need is that we can survive without necessity but cannot survive without need. The only solution to this problem is “Sustainable Development” which facilitates everyone. Mutualism is the key to solve the problem. Develop as no one gets any damage and still we get roads and rails facilities.
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