An environmentalist has complained about this to a number of officials. The complaint letter has alleged that massive deforestation, hill cutting, and quarrying are taking place inside the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor
A cleared patch of forest land near Kolzar village (right) an access path created by felling trees. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A four-kilometre stretch inside the Western Ghats forest in Kolzar in Dodamarg taluka of Sindhudurg district, which is a part of an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), has allegedly been heavily quarried, stripped of tree cover and left badly damaged, raising serious concerns over environmental violations and ecological loss.
An environmentalist has complained about this to a number of officials. The complaint letter has alleged that massive deforestation, hill cutting, and quarrying are taking place inside the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor. There was particular concern about the unprecedented large-scale destruction in Kolzar village of Dodamarg. The environmentalist stated that on a visit to the site, it was seen that a vast swathe of forest land has been excavated, quarried, and a fresh vehicular access path created by pushing trees down the slopes and excavating the hills.
A quick, thorough investigation after looking at the evidence submitted by the complainant is vital. It will also be helpful if a couple of villagers from Kolzar are given a voice, as they may have witnessed this destruction.
Carving out spaces for vehicular access or even dwelling places within the forest must invite action. Ideally, authorities must be alert and move as soon as violations are flagged. This, in fact, is a pattern for most environmental crimes — they are often done under the cover of darkness, they are in remote areas, they are ‘covered’ up under some clearing or area is dangerous pretext, and the damage is not apparent till it is done. Environmentalists also cannot be on high alert all the time. We need authorities to have special teams who can flag this immediately.
In this case, we hear investigations are on with reference to tree felling. We need more eyes on the ground and stricter action if we are going to be ‘green warriors’ in the strictest sense of the word.
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