06 Jun 2023  |   06:51am IST

Late Fr Bismarque continues to fight & win for Goa

HC removes obstacles in way of demolishing illegal structure at St Estevam; directs the authorities to demolish the structure built in the NDZ at Akhada, St Estevam, within two weeks
Late Fr Bismarque continues to fight & win for Goa

Team Herald


PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday dismissed a civil review application and directed the Panjim Deputy Collector to demolish an illegal structure built in the No Development zone (NDZ) at Akhada, St Estevam, within the next two weeks.

Activist priest, Late Fr Bismarque Dias was the original petitioner, who got justice eight years after his death when the Division Bench by an order dated May 2, 2023 ordered to demolish the illegal construction within the NDZ, within three months from the date of the order and to file compliance report.

Rajani Fadte of St Estevam had filed a civil review application praying to review the order delivered by the High Court last month, directing to demolish the structure within three months.

On May 29, the Panjim Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional officer (SDO) had gone to the site to carry out the demolition as per the Court order. But the team was obstructed from undertaking the demolition.

Panjim Deputy Collector and SDO Rajesh S Ajgaonkar on Monday filed a report before the Court stating that the Tiswadi Mamlatdar and the Joint Mamlatdar visited the site on May 29 and found that the access was blocked with two 15-metre-long canoes, both welded to each other blocking the way leading to the illegal construction.

Yet the demolition squad proceeded further and completed part demolition of the RCC structure, he stated.

Ajgaonkar said that on two occasions some locals started arguing with the demolition squad and police were directed to keep them away.

He further stated that the Tiswadi Mamldatar has now written to the PWD to provide two cranes of minimum 40 tonnes capacity each to remove the two canoes and a Hitachi 200 EX machine to raze the remaining structure.

“The demolition will continue once the PWD makes available two cranes and a ‘Hitachi 200 Ex’ machine,” he added.

During the hearing of the review application before the Vacation Court Judge Bharati Dhangre, Additional Government Advocate N Vernekar had told the Court about the obstructions faced by the demolition squad from carrying out the demolition while, Adv Rohit Bras de Sa had produced photographs showing how the access to the illegal structure has been blocked by putting up a canoe on the road.  

Following this, the Division Bench comprising Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice B P Deshpande dismissed the civil review application and ordered demolishing of the remaining structure within next two weeks.


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