TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday disposed of contempt of court petition filed by The Goa Rivers Protectors Network against the State government for failing to comply with the Court’s order to stop illegal sand mining in the State.
While disposing of the contempt petition the Court said that it was satisfied with the measures taken by the government authorities to stop illegal sand mining across the State.
According to the petitioner’s Advocate Om D’Costa, the High Court disposed of the matter with certain directions such as for uploading the transit passes on the department’s website in future. The Directorate of Mines and Geology produced the circular to stop the issue of unauthorised passes while the Captain of Ports produced the report of action taken by it.
The Goa Rivers Protectors Network had filed the contempt of court petition in 2021 stating that the government authorities had failed to take steps to stop illegal sand mining as per the Court directives.
In December 2019, the High Court while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by the Federation of Rainbow Warriors and Viraj Bhike had directed the State government through its police machinery as well as Department of Transport to regularly patrol these areas and check the transport vehicles carrying sand to verify whether the same is backed by valid permissions and authorisations.
If the transporters are unable to indicate the source from where such sand or gravel is mined and to produce necessary permissions/authorisations for transportation, the police and transport authorities should take stern action, but not restricted to confiscation of trucks and material therein. The police should also consider, in such cases, to launch prosecution under the relevant sections of the IPC as well as MMDR Act, the Court had stated.
The Directorate of Miners and Geology, Captain of Ports, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) SCZMA, Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the Goa State Biodiversity Board were the respondents in the petition.
