MARGAO: The Western Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) at Pune has delivered a sharp judicial rebuke in the escalating battle over river sand mining in Goa, exposing regulatory lapses while keeping strict environmental safeguards in place.
Hearing a clutch of consolidated appeals — including Nos 81 and 105 to 115 of 2025 (WZ) — filed by the Goa River Sand Protection Network, the tribunal examined the legality of sand mining activities proposed in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas and scrutinised the conduct of key state regulators.
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In a significant admission before the court, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), in a reply affidavit dated February 13, conceded that the project proponent had proposed mining activity within the CRZ — an activity expressly prohibited under prevailing coastal norms. The tribunal directed that the affidavit be circulated to all parties, granting them two weeks to respond.
The appellant, represented by Advocate Maitreya Ghorpade, filed a consolidated rejoinder on February 15 countering the GCZMA’s submissions. The bench ordered that the rejoinder be formally taken on record and shared with all stakeholders.
The proceedings also turned the spotlight on procedural lapses by the GCZMA. In an earlier order dated January 28, 2026, the NGT had imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the authority for failing to file its reply affidavit on time. Seeking to undo that penalty, the GCZMA moved Interlocutory Application (IA) No 30 of 2026 (WZ), pleading for modification or recall of the order. Its counsel tendered an unconditional apology for the delay and submitted the pending affidavit.
Despite opposition from the appellant, the tribunal accepted the apology and allowed the application, taking the affidavit on record and disposing of the interim plea — effectively waiving the earlier cost.
Crucially, the NGT made it clear that the interim relief granted on August 13, 2025, will continue until the next hearing. That order restrains activities linked to the disputed mining projects and ensures that no unauthorised operations proceed in ecologically sensitive zones, including the CRZ.
The bench, comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh, Judicial Member, and Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Expert Member, underscored the primacy of environmental safeguards even as procedural compliance by authorities is addressed.
The next hearing in the consolidated appeals is scheduled for April 23, 2026 — a date that could prove pivotal in determining whether Goa’s fragile riverine and coastal ecosystems will be shielded from what activists describe as regulatory complicity and environmentally impermissible extraction.
