125 TREES DONE AWAY WITH TO BUILT A NEW CRICKET STADIUM AT TIVIM

PANJIM: Around 125 trees were felled from Saturday onwards for the 75 metre pitch and pavilion area at the site earmarked for the international cricket stadium at Tivim. A section of the villagers alleged that GCA had violated the assurance given to the high court of Bombay at Goa that no trees would be cut and no work carried out until the requisite approvals from various authorities were obtained.

GCA president Dayanand Narvekar, however, said the trees were cut as per the assurance given to the court that the 40,000 sq m additional area comprising forest would not be touched till approvals from the Union ministry of environment and forest were obtained. The trees felled over the weekend, were of local species sanvor, bor, shivni and other varieties.

Local farmer Uday Malvankar lodged a complaint at Mapusa police station on Saturday, alleging that GCA had violated the assurance given to the court. "The work of felling the trees had started on Saturday morning. The police had stopped the work on Saturday, but labourers were seen loading the timber in trucks at the site on Monday," Malvankar alleged. Narvekar speaking to reporters at Porvorim Cricket Academy ground on Monday denied the allegation and stated that 125 trees had been felled as per the assurance given to the court, that no trees would be touched within the forest area of 40,000 sq m. (TNN)