Panaji, Aug 9: In response to the recent landslides in Kerala that claimed over 200 lives, the Goa government has reactivated its high-level disaster management committee, assigning ground-level revenue officials the responsibility of reporting illegal hill-cutting activities.
On Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant chaired a crucial meeting of the state disaster management committee in Porvorim, attended by Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte and other senior officials.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Sawant acknowledged that the state has taken a proactive stance following the Wayanad landslide, reactivating its disaster management apparatus to prevent similar occurrences in Goa, which shares the Sahyadri Hill ranges with Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra.
The committee, now renamed the State Disaster Management Authority, will have dedicated officers working year-round to monitor and mitigate disaster risks. Sawant highlighted past landslides in Sattari taluka and other areas like Bardez, Mormugao, Bicholim, Pernem, and Salcette, noting that heavy rains and deforestation were identified as key factors in previous incidents.
The reactivated committee will focus on identifying landslide-prone areas, particularly those at the foothills, and will have the authority to halt hill-cutting activities that pose a threat to nearby communities. A separate monitoring committee, including mamlatdars, zonal agriculture officers, and range forest officers, will oversee the situation in their respective jurisdictions.
Sawant also mentioned that new guidelines would be issued to various departments, including Revenue, Forest, Town and Country Planning, Public Works, Panchayat, and Urban Development, to restrict construction in no-development zones and eco-sensitive areas. Additionally, the state plans to collaborate with the National Disaster Management Authority to identify landslide-prone regions and develop early warning systems.
