Team Herald
MAPUSA: Calangute Constituency Forum has demanded vigilance enquiry against the officers and expert members of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and check the proceedings of the cases relating to No Development Zone (NDZ) development in the coastal area of Calangute and Candolim.
On Friday, GCZMA inspected the site of a Club at Vadi Candolim. The inspection was conducted following a complaint filed by Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) of illegal construction and acting on the complaint. GCZMA passed order to demolish the said illegal construction of swimming pool, restaurant and other structures and further directed the Dy Collector to demolish the same, said the CCF.
“Instead of demolishing the said illegal construction in NDZ area, GCZMA issued an inspection site notice. It is shocking to hear from the expert members present on the site that they are asked by the senior officers of the GCZMA not to inspect the restaurant area. Members of CCF were not allowed to record the site inspection and not allowed to click photographs of the onsite report prepared by the expert members,” said Premanand Diukar, President of CCF.
Diukar said that the “swimming pool exists within 10 metres from the CRZ area and was found filled with red mud, which is going to be threat to the coastal environment and white golden sands of the beach.”
“GCZMA should have imposed heavy fines on this illegal construction and destruction of Beach Environment under Environment Protection Act 1984 but they have literally failed to act accordingly. It seems that the GCZMA department is becoming a part of destruction activities of the coastal area rather than protecting the same as per the Act,” Diukar added.
“We demand vigilance enquiry against the officers and expert members of GCZMA (especially inspection reports filed by Sujit Kumar Dongre) and check the proceedings of the cases relating to NDZ development in the coastal area of Calangute and Candolim,” the CCF added.
