The North Goa Prin cipal District Court at Merc es has stayed the proposed construction of 54 temporary wooden cottages and six res taurants in the ecologically sensitive Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) at Vagator, halt ing a project flagged over en vironmental and regulatory concerns.
The stay order, passed by Principal District Judge Irshad Agha, puts on hold a February 25, 2026 directive of the Addi tional Director of Panchayat, Panjim, which had instruct ed the Anjuna-Caisua Village Panchayat to grant trade per mission to Gema Maria Albu querque and two others. The proposed development — spread across Survey Nos 213/1, 213/2 and 213/3 in Anjuna — envisaged a built up area of 4,261.03 square metres, including cottages and restaurant decks, in a zone the panchayat main tains is highly fragile and unsuitable for construction. Challenging the direc tive under Section 201-B of the Goa Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2010, the panchayat argued that the project site falls within an eco-sensitive, sloping ter rain abutting the seashore, with no proper road access and covered by natural vege tation. It had earlier rejected the proposal in its Septem ber 16, 2025 meeting fol lowing a site inspection. Appearing for the panchayat, Adv Pronoy Ka mat contended that no prop er Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) preceded the issuance of a No Objec tion Certificate by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA). He fur ther argued that the prop erty owners had leased the land to a private entity, which effectively amounted to a transfer of the GCZMA NOC — a move he said was impermissible under exist ing High Court directives — warning that the project could trigger significant eco logical damage. The panchayat also in formed the court that it had, on November 25, 2025, lodged objections with multiple authori ties, including the GCZMA, Town Planning Depart ment, Tourism Depart ment, Deputy Collector and the Forest Department, op posing any approvals. In its submissions, the panchayat stated that the land falls within a No De velopment Slope and Eco 1 zone under the Regional Plan Goa-2021, with parts classified as natural cover and Eco-2. It emphasised that the area hosts dense vegetation and forms an important natural habitat, and flagged that no forest clearance had been ob tained for tree cutting. It further pointed out that the slope gradient exceeds 25 degrees, making the terrain prone to landslides and unsafe for construction. The site also lies within the 0-200 metre High Tide Line, categorised as CRZ-III (No Development Zone) under CRZ notifications. Additional deficiencies cited included the absence of clear site demarcation, lack of ownership and lease documentation, failure to amalgamate the three sur vey plots, and non-compli ance with mandatory plan ning norms such as open space, parking provisions and contour plans.
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Kamat maintained that only a provisional clearance had been granted by the GCZMA, not final approval. While granting the stay, the court has called for records and proceedings in the matter and posted it for final ar guments on March 31.
