More than a month after controversially taking away the tree-status granted to coconut palms, Goa continues to get high on the coconut controversy.
While hugging coconut palms, earmarked for felling for road-widening projects, was a popular theme for Valentine's Day earlier this month, on Sunday politicians and civil society activists are expected to start a 'Maad Yatra', which is expected to start from the Bhagwat temple at Dhargalim village, located around 35 kms from Panaji, which is a part of Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar's constituency.
Maad in Konkani refers to the coconut tree.
One of the main architects of the 'Maad Yatra' the Independent legislator Vijai Sardesai claims that the rally was necessary to drive a point home to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- led coalition Government, which he claimed had taken the "unpopular decision".
"We thought they would reclassify the coconut palm as a tree again in face of popular opposition. Everyone in Goa is angry at degrading of the coconut tree, which is why we are having this rally," Sardesai said.
The Maad Yatra is expected to stretch from Dhargalim in North Goa to Canacona, the southernmost taluk in the State.
The Opposition as well as the civil society has repeatedly accused the BJP-led coalition Government in Goa of amending the Goa Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees act 1984 in January and dropping the tree status accorded to the coconut tree, to unfairly hasten real estate and industrial development at the cost of environment.
Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar had defended the amendment saying a coconut palm does not fit the definition of a tree even botanically and that the amendment would help coconut farmers cull old and non-productive palms without too much red-tape.
A parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, environment and forest during a recent visit to Goa also recommended revision of the controversial amendment.
Meanwhile, the Congress, in an attempt to create more traction on the issue, said that the de-classification of the coconut tree would be a key issue in the Budget session of the Goa legislative Assembly scheduled in March.
Congress spokesperson Pandurang Madkaikar claimed that the party would also table a private members bill aimed at providing protective cover for the coconut tree and demand making the coconut palm as Goa's State tree.
"This Government is attempting to destroy the coconut palm, which is almost synonymous with Goa by denying it the tree status... Therefore we are bringing in the Goa Protection of Coconut Trees Bill to forever safeguard the coconut palm...Through the bill we want the coconut palm to be Goa's State tree. This is also our demand with this Government," Madkaikar told The Pioneer.
The Congress spokesperson Madkaikar also said that he was hopeful the Bill would inspire legislators across party lines to come to the aid of the coconut palm. The BJP meanwhile dismissed the criticism of the Congress party on the issue. and said that the Maad Yatra and other initiatives were being led by politicians who are real-estate developers and have no love for Goa or its environment, leave alone the coconut tree.
"These are all gimmicks of those who are real-estate dealers. Those protesting are not farmers, but politicians who are builders," BJP South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar said.