20 Mar 2024  |   08:21am IST

HC directs Tourism Dept to act against illegal constructions and businesses on beaches

Asks government to ensure that water and electricity connections to such structures are disconnected; orders criminal action against existing and ongoing illegal constructions on Calangute-Baga beach stretch

Team Herald

PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Department of Tourism to crack down on illegal constructions and businesses operating from such premises on beaches across the State.

The Court has asked the Department of Tourism to initiate stringent action against such constructions and further to keep a strict vigil to ensure that such illegal constructions do not sprout on beaches across the State.

The Court also asked the government to ensure that water and electricity connections to such structures were disconnected and has ordered that criminal action be initiated against existing and ongoing illegal constructions on beaches.

The Environment Department has also been directed to recover environmental damage cost from the owners of these illegal constructions. The court directions came during the hearing of the matter related to illegal constructions at Calangute and Baga.

The Court asked the Department of Tourism to remove all the illegal constructions which have mushroomed on government and on beaches in Calangute and Baga area. Though the officials of Department of Tourism and other authorities had removed several such constructions, during the inspection by authorities on March 15, several more such structures were unearthed. The government told the High Court that these illegal structures too will be removed within next two months.

Advocate General Devidas Pangam said that beaches belongs to the government and public and that the High Court has further directed that Director of Tourism to take vigil of any type of illegal activities on the beaches across the State, specially the illegal constructions. 

The high court has said that the Director of Tourism should take responsibility that there are no illegal activities. Any illegal encroachments, including signages which are erected on the beach, have to be removed and it has to be done swiftly. 

The order has to be implemented by the Director of Tourism for the purpose of keeping the beaches clean and free of encroachments.