Space limitations cited as the project faces legal challenge in High Court
MAPUSA
The Public Works Department (PWD) has expressed its willingness to translocate trees that would otherwise need to be felled for the construction of the elevated corridor in Porvorim, but only if they are provided with suitable land for replanting.
The corridor, which is part of a major infrastructure project, is constrained by space limitations, with a corridor width of 24.6 metres and acquired land of just 25 metres, leaving little room for tree relocation.
PWD Executive Engineer (National Highways) Jude Carvalho explained the situation, stating, "We have only 20 cm on either side of the corridor, which is insufficient for replanting trees. We are prepared to translocate the trees, but we need land to do so."
The 5.15km elevated corridor project, which has received permission from the forest department, involves the felling of 612 trees and the translocation of four others — three banyan trees and one peepal tree. However, concerns raised by petitioners Aaron Fernandes and others in the High Court identified 14 trees along the stretch that needed to be translocated.
Carvalho clarified that out of these 14 trees, eight were not on the list slated for felling, and of the remaining six, two had already been cut before the petition was filed. The PWD is now focused on the translocation of the remaining four trees.
A recent order from the Deputy Conservator of Forests has temporarily halted the cutting of all 14 trees, including those not originally on the felling list. To mitigate the environmental impact, Carvalho assured that the PWD will plant three times the number of trees being felled for the project.
“For every tree we cut, we will plant three. We did the same for the Mopa link road project, where we cut 5,300 trees but planted 51,300 saplings due to additional land available,” Carvalho said, citing his previous experience.
As part of the Porvorim project, the PWD has already deposited Rs 98 lakh as a security deposit with the forest department and has committed to maintaining the newly planted trees for five years.
Despite the ongoing legal challenge over tree felling, Carvalho confirmed that the construction of the elevated corridor is progressing as planned.
The PWD’s approach underscores the challenges of balancing infrastructure development with environmental preservation, particularly in space-constrained projects like the Porvorim elevated corridor.
