*It is with great sorrow and shock, that I share the very sad news that one of the greastest voice and hopes that we had for our beloved Goa Matanhy Saldanha is no more. He truly was a beloved son of Goa who worked hard to the end for Goa and Goans. * ** *May his wife and loved ones be comforted at this diffcult time.* ** * I attach his last message below from the Herald.
* * **************************************************************************************************************************** * *Matanhy cautious on move to denotify Mhadei areas TEAM HERALD teamher...@herald-goa.com PANJIM:* Forest Minister Matanhy Saldanha has said the proposal to denotify certain areas of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary has to be decided only after ensuring ‘the move is not to help the mining industry’ Saldanha said the proposal is being studied by Government. “We want to study whether demand for denotification of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is for the sake of people or for the sake of mining industry”, he told reporters on the sidelines of the State Legislative Assembly session. Pointing to Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane’s petition in the High Court, Saldanha said the interest of the people living in the Sanctuary should be protected and the new Government will ensure it. “There is no threat to the wildlife from the locals living there”, the minister said. Rane, last year had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the 12-year-old Government decision of notifying areas of Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary. Rane’s petition terms the notification as illegal as it directly affects the inhabitants of about 28 remote villages in the Mhadei area where the villagers carry on agricultural activities as their only source of income. Rane alleged that the decision to notify -- taken during President’s rule in 1999 -- was taken without conducting any study or proper survey/demarcation of the area. Nevertheless, some environment activists had also filed an intervention application in the petition expressing apprehension that Rane was acting in collusion with the Congress Government to ensure that the sanctuary notification is set aside in order to help the mining lobby. TIGER RESERVE: Matanhy asserted that tigers in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary need to be protected and said the proposal to declare the sanctuary as ‘tiger reserve’ will be examined by the State Government before taking any concrete stand on it. “It’s a serious issue which needs proper study. If it’s justified that there is tiger presence, then same could be referred to Union Ministry for suitable directions”, he said adding if there are tigers then we need to protect them. Environment activists in the State had been lobbying for declaring the sanctuary as ‘tiger reserve’. Along with State Government, a proposal was also sent to Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). Though MoEF had asked for a proposal to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary a tiger reserve, the then Congress-led Government feigned ignorance on the issue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------