Panaji, Jun 4 (IANS): The Goa government on Friday launched an online portal to ease commercial plantation of trees, which would enable quick facilitation for felling of selected species trees planted for commercial reasons.

"Today, we have launched an online portal for commercial plantations. A person who wants to start commercial plantation of commercially viable species of trees, can apply in advance at the time of planting the tree and after five years or so when he wants to cut the tree he can produce the permission he had already applied for," Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who launched the portal started by the Forest Ministry in Panaji said.

Sawant said that the online portal was a "crucial reform". "Tree plantation should not be for the sake of it but it should also be commercially viable," Sawant said.

Speaking about the issue of man-animal conflict in the state, Sawant said that the state government has started water harvesting projects in forest areas as well as undertaken plantation of fruit-bearing trees to minimise the conflict.

"The reason for this conflict is because the animals need water and food and sometimes it is available only in the village. To avoid this we have started water harvesting within the sanctuaries as well as have begun planting fruit bearing trees in the forest," Sawant said.