Activist Sagardeep Sirsaikar of Anjuna has filed an appeal before the Nation al Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone challenging the No Objection Certificate (NOC) dated November 17, 2025, issued by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) approv ing proposed maintenance dredging at the mouth of the Chapora River. The approval was grant ed subject to the condition that the project must not affect turtle nesting sites and should be completed before the nesting period, in consultation with the Forest Department. During the hearing on Thursday, appellant’s coun sel Adv Aagney Sail referred to the Sea Turtle Nesting and Habitat Management Plan (2024) prepared by the Centre for Environment Education covering Man drem, Morjim, Agonda and Galgibaga beaches. The plan records the turtle nesting season as extending from October to May each year. It also highlights specific restrictions imposed during this period, including a ban on shacks or establishments between the intertidal zone and dunes (except as rec ommended in the Beach Carrying Capacity report of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Man agement) and prohibition of vehicular movement in intertidal and dune areas. Adv Sail further point ed out that the Captain of Ports Department had granted permission to the Mumbai-based M/s Enrich Global Infra Limited to car ry out dredging work at the Chapora River mouth with effect from December 29, 2025. He argued that this timeline overlaps with the turtle nesting season, potentially violating the conditions stipulated in the GCZMA’s approval. He also referred to the minutes of the GCZMA meeting held on September 23, 2025, which noted that explicit comments from the Forest Department were re quired to ensure no disturbance to turtle nesting areas at Mandrem and Morjim during dredging activities. In a letter dated June 27, 2025, the Forest Department had expressed its con cern that the Morjim Beach located near the proposed dredging site and des ignated as a turtle nesting beach, could be affected. The department had ap prehended that dredging may impact beach stability and recommended that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be undertaken by a reputed institution to assess potential effects on the Morjim and Mandrem nesting beaches. The appellant contended that no such EIA study had been conducted. The Captain of Ports Department, however, maintained in the GCZMA meeting min utes that the dredging site is about one-kilometre from potential nesting sites and that sediment plumes generated during maintenance dredging are unlikely to reach the Morjim Beach, thereby not disturbing turtle nesting activities. The appellant argued that this assessment conflicts with the Forest Department’s recommendation. The appeal has been filed with a delay of 43 days. The Tribunal bench com prising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Member Sujit Kumar Bajpayee directed the Registry to number the appeal and list it for consideration on Friday, Feb ruary 13. An application seeking interim relief, which had also not been num bered, was ordered to be processed and listed for hearing on the same date.
Nod for Chapora dredging challenged in NGT
