PANJIM: Claiming that the High Court’s judgment on the ‘Tiger Reserve’ has protected the rights of Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities and other forest dwellers, the opposition Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP government’s move to challenge it, is to weaken the Mhadei case to benefit Karnataka.
Addressing a press conference at Congress House, here, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar lambasted Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane for trying to misguide people and also the Court. He hailed the High Court judgment directing the State government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve within next three months.
The Court was hearing a petition filed by ‘Goa Foundation’ (a local NGO). It had sought direction from the court to notify a Tiger Reserve in the State.
“High Court order is very clear and it is in the interest of the State and its people. It has protected the rights of forest dwellers and has asked the State government to act on it,” Patkar said.
“Vishwajit Rane and other BJP leaders are trying to spread wrong information in public that around 15,000 people will be displaced if ‘Tiger Reserve’ is notified. Forest Department’s plan says that most habitation areas are already excluded from the core area of the proposed Tiger Reserve,” Patkar pointed out.
According to Patkar, the judgment states that, “There appears to be some misimpression that the moment the area is notified as a Tiger Reserve, there would be large-scale displacements of population and the rights of the forest dwellers would be drastically affected. This needs to be corrected.”
Patkar said that Court has asked the Goa Forest Department officials to initiate a campaign to assure ST communities and other forest dwellers that their interests will not be adversely affected and their concerns will be suitably addressed.
“We do care for our people staying in forest areas and also about tigers and Mhadei. But it seems, the BJP government is trying to weaken our case to benefit Karnataka,” Patkar charged.
He said that Rane and his government is trying to stifle the voice of the public by using the tool of ‘Breach of Privilege’, where he has threatened to move it if people speak against him publicly.
“He (Rane) himself has violated the rules of the House by taking the name of Goa Foundation and defaming the NGO. It is because of ‘Goa Foundation’ the State government will earn through mining,” Patkar said.
GPCC general secretary Adv Shrinivas Khalap said that Rane levelled criminal allegations against Goa Foundation and Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar didn’t object to it.
“Rules of Business are infringed by Minister and Speaker,” he said adding that the latter also allowed resolutions moved by their party members despite the matter being sub judice. This clears how they are misusing powers, he said.