PANJIM: Decks have been cleared for the construction of the Tiracol bridge in Pernem taluka as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Special Bench disposed of an application filed by the NGO Goa Foundation.
The NGT in its order dated January 17, 2022, has directed the Secretary (Environment, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), SEIAA, and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to monitor the compliance of conditions for permissions under the CRZ Regulation as well as under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 by the project proponent including recommendations of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai (NIOT), Chennai.
Based on the NIOT report dated February 8, 2016 that the bridge could be constructed subject to mitigation of adverse impact and subject to compliance of recommendations mentioned therein, the Tribunal had disposed of application directing that construction of the bridge be taken up after obtaining all necessary precautions and complying with the recommendations of the NIOT.
Earlier, the High Court of Bombay at Goa by an order dated March 11, 2021 had also disposed of the writ petition filed by the Goa Foundation, giving liberty to the applicant to approach this Tribunal again to highlight its grievance.
Following this, the Goa Foundation filed an application before the NGT Special Bench challenging the construction of Rs 77 crore “signature bridge” in the CRZ I of Querim beach in North Goa district, across the estuarine mouth of the Tiracol river to the forested slopes of Tiracol village on the other side of the river.
The applicant stated that the construction of the bridge in CRZ I violates the provisions of the CRZ Notification, 2011; that the construction violates the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 as there is no prior approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and that the construction of the bridge would destroy forever several permanent ecological assets in Goa including the Querim beach, the natural forest on Tiracol hill and the Tiracol estuary which is highly dynamic, due to river/sea interface.
The applicant also stated that the estuarine area being the principal fishing grounds of the villagers would be damaged by the piers to be located in the estuary on both sides of the Tiracol river and that the alignment of the bridge was decided at the behest of the owners of a proposed luxury golf course resort to be constructed at Tiracol.
The construction of the bridge was first stayed in December 2014 by the NGT, Western Zone on grounds that “prima facie, there is material to show that there is violation of the CRZ notification”. After the appeal was disposed of, the applicant filed 0A in 2015 and the stay of the project was continued vide order dated April 17, 2015 right up to disposal of the OA on January 22, 2020.
However, the five-member NGT Special Bench observed that the CRZ clearance and in principle forest clearance has also been duly granted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 Act and that the construction of bridge will advance public purpose. Accordingly it directed the Secretary (Environment), PCCF, SEIAA, Goa and the GCZMA to monitor the compliance of conditions for permissions under the CRZ Regulation as well as under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 including recommendations of the NIOT and disposed of the application.
