Team Herald
MARGAO: The tussle over the proposed new high-level Borim bridge is set to continue, with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) deferring the hearing of the case to January 7, 2025.
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While the farmer groups said they would go ahead with their petition in the High Court against the new bridge construction and land acquisition for it irrespective of the NGT verdict, reports suggest that the government will not proceed with any work connected to acquiring the land that presently belongs to the farmers as of now.
On Monday, NGT took up the petition of farmers from Loutolim and Borim against the construction of the bridge. The farmers have alleged that the project lacks clearances such as environment, forest, etc, and the fact that khazan lands, on which a portion of the bridge will come up on, is protected under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.
During this hearing, the State and Central governments, which have been seeking additional time in connection with this case since May 2024, appealed yet again for more time in responding to arguments made by the petitioners. The petitioners questioned in court why the government wanted additional time.
While the copy of this order is not out as yet, sources stated that the NGT bench agreed to adjourn the matter by a month’s time to January 7 next year. This news came as a massive disappointment to the farmer groups who were hoping earnestly that Monday’s hearing would have been the conclusion of the NGT hearing and give them decisive legal intervention in the case.
There is suspicion amongst the farmers that the government is deliberately allowing the NGT matter to drag on by seeking additional time so that there is no legal deterrent at this or earlier stages to the project.
