Daijiworld Media Network - Margao

Margao, Mar 1: Environmental activists and local residents have voiced strong opposition to the large-scale felling of trees for the widening of the road connecting Curchorem and Cacora.

According to locals, the current phase of road expansion — now progressing in stretches from Tilamol to Curchorem — follows extensive tree cutting that took place in 2016. At the time, campaigners had objected to the move, after which authorities reportedly assured that saplings numbering three times the trees removed would be replanted along the corridor.

Nearly a decade later, residents say there is little clarity on whether that commitment was fulfilled. “Ten years have passed, and the widening work has only just begun, that too in phases. We do not know if any saplings were replanted as promised,” a local resident remarked.

Sanjay Dessai, who frequently travels along the route, recalled that in 2016 trees from Tilamol to Kakumoddi were felled in one sweep. He said officials had justified the action by stating that the land acquisition process had been completed nearly two decades earlier.

Environmental groups have now urged the government to immediately suspend further tree cutting until transparency is ensured regarding compensatory plantation measures.

Sources in the Public Works Department (PWD) indicated that land acquisition for the project had been finalised years ago. Meanwhile, forest department officials maintained that most of the trees removed were avenue plantations, typically considered to have lower commercial forestry value. However, a senior forest official acknowledged their ecological importance, noting that such trees function as crucial carbon sinks and contribute significantly to environmental stability.