With tacit political blessings we are witnessing rampant filling of low lying fields and hill cutting across Goa. All this is happening also in connivance with the various governmental authorities who are conveniently turning a Nelson’s eye to all these unpardonable environmental violations.
It must be ensured that all those involved in land filling and hill cutting must be ruthlessly and severely punished in accordance with law. These culprits must be made to restore all that land to its original position. It is time to say enough is enough to the ever so greedy and heartless land mafia who have been mercilessly uncaring about the environmental consequences of their misdeeds. They need to be named and shamed.
The local revenue and police officials must keep strict vigil and must be held accountable for any unauthorised land filling and hill cutting in their jurisdiction. The law must also be made more stringent to deal with all these serious offences against nature. It is a tragedy for Goa that despite the law prohibiting hill cutting and filling up of low lying land this heinous crime still goes on.
Ed Begley Jr, an American actor and environmentalist makes a very pertinent and challenging statement aimed at every government official, potential land destroyer and every citizen ‘I don’t understand why when we destroy something created by man we call it vandalism, but when we destroy something by nature we call it progress’.
