MARGAO: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the demolition of Champions Club hotel in Cavelossim for violating CRZ norms. It also slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh for damages and another 25 lakh for restoration of the sand dunes destroyed by the violator Balaji Concepts.
The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had inspected the site on April 30 after the Cavelossim Villagers Forum (CVF) fought relentlessly against the project. Unsatisfied by the efforts of the panchayat and GCZMA, the forum took the issue to a higher authority.
The Advocate General, GCZMA member secretary and the CVF were present when the NGT Pune bench ruled for immediate demolition of the hotel. While the order copy is awaited, sources informed that the NGT had come down hard on the GCZMA for not keeping a check on such violations in the village.
The inspection on April 30 had revealed the lethargy of the panchayat and GCZMA in keeping a check on the illegal constructions in the village’s CRZ areas. Concrete constructions and soak pits, bamboo and cement structures and permanently-stationed caravans were found at the three inspected sites on Thursday. The worst hit was the sand dunes, which were completely destroyed.
Iris Passanha of CVF had shown the exact damage that the Champions Club and other hotels and shacks had caused. The GCZMA had observed that the commercial establishments fell within 150 meters from the tide line.
