The Bombay High Court at Goa on Mon day impleaded the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in a public in terest litigation alleging a systematic failure of gov ernment authorities to en force environmental and wildlife protection laws at a key turtle nesting site on Vagator beach.
The order came while hearing a PIL filed by Aar on Victor E Fernandes, secretary of the Chamele on Wildlife Organisation, over the continuing dis turbances to the nesting habitat of the Olive Ridley turtle at ‘Mhairi’ or Dream Beach in Vagator, an is sue highlighted often by O Heraldo in its reports. The petition alleges that authorities have repeatedly failed to discharge their du ties to protect the nesting habitat despite numerous complaints about illegal and ecologically damaging activities in the area.
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The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is listed as a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and is categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ by the Internation al Union for Conservation of Nature, giving it the highest level of legal protection in India. However, the petition contends that the agencies re sponsible for safeguarding the habitat — including the Goa Forest Department and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority — have failed to act even after repeated rep resentations flagging disturbances near the nesting site. According to the petitioner, loud music and intense LED lighting from commercial establishments operating close to the beach during the turtle nesting season between No vember and May have continued unchecked. Despite these complaints, the petition states that the authorities have failed to conduct inspections, initiate in quiries or enforce statutory prohibitions, allowing distur bances to persist in the immediate vicinity of the nesting habitat. As a result, turtle nesting attempts have repeatedly been disrupted, with loud music and bright flashing lights forc ing turtles to abandon the beach and return to the sea with out laying eggs. Highlighting the urgency of the situation during the on going nesting season, the petitioner has sought directions to the Forest Department to deploy staff for patrolling and monitoring at Mhari or Dream Beach during March and April. The petition has also urged the court to direct authori ties to issue orders banning the use of bright or LED light ing and loud noise from commercial establishments oper ating near the nesting site. Additionally, the petitioner has sought directions to the Forest Department to act on recent complaints relating to disturbances at the Vagator nesting site to ensure effective enforcement of environmental and wildlife protection laws and safeguard the ecologically sensitive habitat.
