Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Oct 19: The Goa Tamnar Transmission Project Ltd (GTTPL) said that the project would cut down only 1000 trees in the Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary to make way for a power transmission after NGOs made claims that a large number of trees would be cut for the project.

"The forest tree enumeration stands at 43,201. However, actual felling or trimming of trees in the forest area would be 14,700, which is just 35 percent of the enumerated quantity. Morever, as per the prevailing regulations, payments against the enumerated 43,201 forest trees are being paid to the forest department. Out of the 14,700 trees expected to be felled or trimmed, only 1000 trees would be felled/trimmed in the wildlife sanctuary," GTTPL said.

GTTPL, in a statement said that compensatory afforestation and Net Present Value (NPV) were enumerated. For the Sangod substantiation 8,010 trees were mandated to be planted against 2,670 trees that were cut on private land.

"For any further tree cutting in a non-forest area, we will plant three times the trees felled, as per the compensatory rules of the Forest Department," GTTPL sais.