Team Herald
PANJIM: A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising Justice M S Sonak and Justice M S Jawalkar on Monday directed the Village Panchayats of Merces, Chimbel and Santa Cruz to ensure that by July 20th, the black spots are cleared and a compliance report is filed.
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The directions were issued after social activist Adv Aires Rodrigues submitted to the Court photographs clicked on July 10 showing garbage dumped along the roads in these three village panchayats.
While observing that despite several directions, the position of black spots in these village panchayat areas continue to remain substantially the same, the High Court in its order has made it clear that if no serious steps are taken to prevent such black spots and to clear them no sooner they start appearing, the Court would be constrained to take serious action against those in control of these village panchayats.
Earlier, Adv Rodrigues submitted that though the village panchayats of Merces, Chimbel and Santa Cruz have been repeatedly submitting to the Court that the streets within their jurisdiction are free from garbage that the ground reality however continues to be to the contrary.
The contempt petition filed by Adv Rodrigues in 2017 over the failure of the authorities to comply with the undertaking given that a garbage management plan would be in place will now be heard by the High Court on July 22.
Pointing out that in rank contempt of Court, debris and garbage has continued to be dumped unabated along the roads with the situation getting bad to worse by the day having now reached a point of crisis, Adv Rodrigues had submitted that it was appalling that the authorities were turning a Nelson’s Eye to this gross violation of law and acting contrary to the solemn undertaking given to the Court, which amounted to showing scant respect to the Majesty of the highest Court of the State.
