Daijiworld Media Network – Dabolim

Dabolim, Nov 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered an immediate halt to tree felling at Dabolim while hearing an appeal filed by Goa Foundation against an NGT ruling that had cleared a major residential project in the area.

A bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan directed that no trees shall be cut on Survey No. 43/1-A at Dabolim until further orders. Notices have been issued to DLF Homes Goa Pvt Ltd and other respondents, with responses due within six weeks.

The interim order came after senior advocate Norma Alvares, representing Goa Foundation, submitted that the project site is classified as forest land and faces imminent destruction of green cover if construction proceeds.

The appeal challenges the NGT’s June 11 order declaring the land as non-forest, which allowed the developer to move ahead with construction plans. Goa Foundation argued that expert reports from the State Forest Department, the Union Environment Ministry and the Araujo Committee had all identified the land as private forest after field inspections. These findings, however, were dismissed by a later Review Committee that relied solely on satellite imagery to exclude the area from the forest list.

The matter will be taken up after responses are filed.