THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has expressed ‘shock and horror’ over the failure of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to act on its own show cause notice and stop work order from December 2022 regarding three illegal structures in the CRZ area at Candolim, hardly 20 metres from the seashore.
Despite the stop work order, the owners of the structures continued construction activities with impunity, said the division bench comprising Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes, directing authorities to halt all commercial operations in the illegal structures.
The GCZMA had issued a show cause notice-cum-stop work order to Zulekha Irfan Tinwala (Droplet Beach Night Club) on December 5, 2022, citing multiple violations. Tinwala admitted to some violations in her response, proposing to remove certain structures. However, construction activities persisted despite the order, leading to further violations.
A site inspection report by five GCZMA officials confirmed ongoing construction despite the stop work order. The site inspection was carried out by the Secretary (Environment) and the GCZMA Chairperson, Member Secretary and other officials, on April 16, after the Court said it was horrified that GCZMA did not bother to take any action against the respondent’s activity for almost two years. The report highlighted nine violations, including construction in highly eco-sensitive areas close to the seashore.
Court directed the GCZMA to file an affidavit within the next four weeks, explaining its inaction since December 2022 and warned that if the show cause notice is discharged, seals will not be removed, and commercial operations will not be permitted without the Court’s approval.
This comes after the sealing of Shambha Beach Lounge in Candolim, while Raffle Square Development Pvt Ltd, that operates ‘O Hotel’ gave an assurance to remove three temporary cottages and a concrete plinth on the site.
