Team Herald
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday admitted that his government had approached the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) with a request that Goa’s cases before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) be shifted from the Western Zone of Pune bench to the Principal Bench in Delhi. He justified the decision saying that the National capital is more convenient then Pune.
“State had written to the Union Ministry for Environment with a request that Goa be brought under jurisdiction of NGT-Delhi, which is more convenient as we have a legal team there and hence will attend the cases in Delhi,” Parrikar told media persons.
“Pune is not convenient to us. I don’t have a legal setup in Pune. If NGT had set up a regional office in Mumbai, I had no issue but Pune is not feasible,” he said, adding, “Convenience of the defendant, which is government in most cases, is also very important.”
MoEF, on August 10, shifted Goa’s jurisdiction of NGT from the Pune bench to the Principal Bench in Delhi. The sudden decision led to an uproar among green activists, who slammed the Central government and termed it as unconstitutional.
The matter is currently pending before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which has granted interim stay on transfer of cases from Pune to Delhi, in a petition filed by some activists challenging the notification.
Justifying the State government decision, the Chief Minister explained that his legal team has to spend three days in Pune just for one case at a time.
“If the case is on date one than I have to send the person (lawyer) on zero date, he reaches in afternoon, attends the case next day and comes back on the third day. So for one case he has to spend three days, with back-to-back cases more days,” he said.
“I don’t have the legal setup in Pune. Connectivity with Pune is very bad from Goa,” Parrikar said adding, “Goa being a small state, it is not possible to maintain a legal setup in Pune, Delhi and Goa.”
He said that the notification does not mean that the matter has been taken out of the Pune bench completely. “NGT Delhi bench also hears Goa’s cases. So that is not the logic. Moreover, if there is any judgement to challenge you have to either go to High Court or Supreme Court,” he said.
Chief Minister said that the Delhi connectivity is excellent and cost wise it is not much, especially if you go by night flights. “Since the matter is now before the Court (High Court), let the court decide,” he stated.
Parrikar clarified that government followed all the procedures and had taken necessary approvals before sending the proposal to the Union Ministry.
