The state of Goa in India, a popular beach vacation destination, is seeing a citizen uprising in response to a government plan to raze parts of the Mollem National Park and the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary to make way for three infrastructure projects.

New Delhi plans to add tracks to the South Western Railway, build the Tanmar transmission line and expand India's national highway.

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In addition to the forested areas that will be put at risk, locals are also concerned they will be forced to evacuate family homes in the region, some of which are heritage buildings.

Goa environmentalists draw national support

Chandor, a small village in Goa, has seen a swell of protest since November. Demonstrators oppose the development of railway lines through the forests, a project that could cut down more than 59,000 trees.

Despite rising coronavirus infections in the area, demonstrators have protested near the track bed of the South Western Railway line.

"We are aware of the risks we are taking. We have people of all age groups here, and some of us have lied to our families about going to the protests. But this is about our Goa. If we don't stand up now, our green spaces will be destroyed," said 17-year-old Anu, one of the protesters.

Goa's citizen-led environmentalist movement has received a lot of support from people across India, especially on social media. Organizers have used social media to mobilize demonstrators and spread awareness about the biodiversity of the region.

Impact on environment and tourism

Goa's director of police has told local media that the infrastructure projects are necessary for the "nation's development," adding that the police would not tolerate anyone obstructing the projects.

A group of around 160 researchers and academics have written to the Wildlife Institute of India calling for a more in-depth environmental impact study for all three projects. They argue that the existing environmental impact review by the government lacks detail.

Nearly 150 tourism industry stakeholders from Goa have also written to India's environment and tourism ministers, Prakash Javadekar and Prahlad Patel, expressing concerns over deforestation and the impact on Goa's tourism.

"Current community-based tourism initiatives will also be destroyed, damaging the local economy and muting any opportunity to make Goa a global leader in sustainable tourism," said the letter.

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Projects benefit Goa's coal industry

Claude Alvares, an environmentalist and director of the Goa Foundation, told DW that the benefits of the infrastructure projects for Goa and its citizens are "marginal."

"Two of the three projects are related to movement of coal and iron ore. The iron ore is scheduled to come to Goa from Karnataka for export to China," Alvares said.

"The coal is expected to come from Australia to Goa for further transport to steel mills and thermal power plants. We get only the pollution, beaches with coal deposits and health problems everywhere. Of course, the wildlife habitats of Goa will also be fragmented," he added.

In response to widespread protests, the chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, has said the projects will be scaled back

A group of children met Sawant on November 15, with a plea to stop the coal transportation projects.

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He assured them that a coal-handling project at Mormugao would be reduced to more than half its capacity within a year, but added all projects could not be stopped immediately.

"As long as I am the chief minister, I will not allow Mollem to be destroyed," he told the children during the event, according to reports.

But Alvares said Sawant's response is little more than lip service.

"The government response has been inchoate, caught on the back foot and offers no clear reasons for these projects except they are in national interest," he said.

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"They are in the interest of [corporations like] Adani, Jindal (JSW) and Vedanta, which want coal."