VASCO: The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed Competent Automobiles to approach the environment appraisal committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), New Delhi for applying a fresh Environment Clearance (EC) with fresh reference terms.

The NGT was hearing a case filed by Cansaulim Arossim Cuelim Civic and Consumer Forum (CACCCF) and Cansaulim Villagers’ Action Committee (CVAC) against the five-star hotel project proposed by Competent Automobiles at Arossim.

The CACCCF and CVAC had requested that the respondents be directed to approach the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (GSEIAA). With the GSEIAA disbanded on December 8, 2016 and the Goa government failing to reconstitute the same, the Competent Automobiles now has to approach the EAC of the MoEF, New Delhi for fresh EC.

The petitioners were represented by Adv Norma Alvares and Adv Rossueau Rodrigues and the village panchayat of Cansaulim Arossim Cuelim (CAC) by Adv Nigel Costa Frias. Competent Automobiles was represented by Adv Dhruv Mehta Adv Abhijeet Gosavi and Adv Ninad Laud. It may be recalled that CACCCF and CVAC had filed an appeal before the NGT in May 2016.

The CAC panchayat had earlier returned the file seeking construction licence for the starred beach resort alleging that the file was incomplete and had no EC.

Dr Marconi Correia, CACCCF vice president, who is one of the petitioners in the case, said the CAC villagers stand vindicated as they were aware that norms were not followed while granting the EC to Competent Automobiles in an eco fragile area where in rainstorm channels of the village meet the Arabian Sea.

“The CACCCF and CVAC are grateful to their legal counsel for taking their appeal to its logical conclusion before the NGT Pune and for protecting their village for posterity,” he added.