Team Herald
PANJIM: The Department of Tourism is likely to face contempt of court for organising three-day Raponkarancho sea food festival at Arambol beach from December 13 to 15 in violation of the State government’s undertaking to the Court not to allow such festivals on beaches.
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Former Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) councillor and architect Ritu Prasad through their lawyer have served contempt notice to the Department of Tourism in this regard.
They have stated that holding of the said sea food festival on a beach would amount to a direct contempt of order of the High Court of Bombay at Goa dated February 14, 2001.
It will also cause large-scale destruction of the ecology due to the stalls erected on the beach, garbage generated from the waste food, plastic and glass bottles, plates etc, use of machinery, footfall and the disturbance resulting there from, they stated urging the department to put a stop to the festival at Arambol beach.
In February 2000, the then director of tourism in his affidavit to the high court had submitted that the government had taken a policy decision not to allow any food festivals on the anywhere beaches nor to permit any other activities which tend to make them dirty or create unclean and unhygienic atmosphere.
Both, Pinto and Prasad pointed out that in February this year, the department had deferred holding of Goa seafood festival on the Miramar beach following a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition on the basis of the same policydecision of the government.
