Team Herald
PANJIM: A joint inspection conducted under the aegis of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has revealed that majority of the shack owners in Calangute have violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms by constructing borewells, open wells and soak pits on the beaches in the North Goa district.
The report of the joint inspection carried out at Calangute and Candolim by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) along with officials of Tourism Department, Water Resources Department (WRD) and Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) was submitted to the High Court on Thursday.
While hearing a write petition filed by Reuben Franco, the Division Bench comprising Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice B P Deshpande had asked the Department of Tourism, GCZMA, WRD and Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to conduct inspection at Calangute and Candolim beach regarding construction of borewells and soak pits within the CRZ area
The department of tourism officials carried out inspection of as many as 102 shacks permitted at Sautavaddo, Khobravaddo, Umtavaddo, Maddovaddo and Tivaivaddo and Gauravaddo in Calangute village panchayat and 78 shacks at Ximer, Escrivaovaddo, Camotimvaddo, Murud, Vaddie and Dando areas of Candolim panchayat and found that most of the shack allottees were involved in violations as per CRZ 2011 rules and regulations.
The inspection was carried out for five days and it was noticed that all the shacks were erected in the inter-tidal zone. In Calangute, maximum violations were detected at Gauravaddo, where out of 22 shacks allotted, 19 flouted CRZ norms. It was followed by Tivavaddo, where out of 17 shacks allotted, 12 violated the norms.
It was found that some shack operators were discharging kitchen water underground and using water from open well in the government property, while others had built toilets of permanent nature in No Development Zone (NDZ) and releasing untreated waste water and untreated waste in the NDZ.
Also few shack allottees were found drawing ground water and construction within 200 metres from High Tide Line (HTL).
The officials also detected five open wells in Calangute and six open well in Candolim areas within NDZ.
The WRD ground water officer (North) had already sealed 16 borewells and physically removed four borewells at the Calangute beach. As per the shack policy, no bore wells are permitted and no permissions are granted for boring such wells under the Goa Ground Water Regulation Act, 2002 and Rules 2003.
Adv Rohit Bras de Sa is arguing on behalf of the petitioner while, additional government advocate Sulekha Kamat is representing the State and the government departments.
The department of tourism had already issued show cause notices to 58 shack operators asking them as to why their operations should not be shut down and licences should not be revoked for breach of terms and conditions of the shack licence. Meanwhile, the Tourism Department had instructed these shack owners to rectify their faults and comply with the norms by Thursday (February 23).