Was it Cleared by a State Body?
According to an Indian Express report, NBWL had claimed that these projects were cleared by the Goa State Wild Life Board (GSWLB). However, some members of the state board disagreed.
The 30-member Goa State Wildlife Board, with members from various government departments, including Tourism, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Tribal Welfare, and 10 private members drawn from environmentalists and NGOs, had met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is the board’s chairman, on 2 December 2019, when the projects were cleared.
“We were told this is a meeting to introduce everyone and discuss general matters. There was no talk of this being an environment assessment discussion or a project clearance meeting. The haphazard manner in which the meeting was done, with no discussion, rounding off proposals in less than an hour… is shocking,” environmentalist…