Digital Goa, Feb 26 – High Court has issued notices to the South Western Railway (SWR) and the Directorate of Survey and Land Records (DSLR) on a PIL filed by the Goa Foundation, challenging land acquisition within the Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary. The petition alleges illegal encroachment in Kalay village for the doubling of the Hospet-Hubli-Tinaighat-Vasco railway line, despite a 2022 Supreme Court ruling revoking such permissions. It highlights violations of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and unauthorised changes in land records favouring SWR. Additionally, the petition challenges the authority of SWR and DSLR to acquire land within the sanctuary or alter its status, stating that such actions violate the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Court has scheduled the next hearing for March 4, considering a plea to restrain tree felling in the sanctuary
