Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday heard the public interest litigation (PIL) suo motu petition regarding illegal constructions mushrooming in the State.
During the hearing, topics such as the issuance of water and electricity connections to unauthorised structures, the role of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, the village panchayats’ failure to take action, and the long-standing delay in demolishing illegal buildings were discussed. The court described the situation as ‘alarming’ and called on the State government to implement measures to curb the proliferation of illegal constructions and encroachments.
According to Adv Vithal Naik, who has been appointed as amicus curiae in the case said that the High Court broadly categorised illegal construction into four categories such illegal; constructions along the roadside, on public lands, in private property without obtaining necessary permissions and illegal constructions in No Development Zone (NDZ), agricultural tenanted lands and forest areas.
Adv Naik said that the court had preliminary discussions and wanted to know what steps need to be taken to implement the statutory provisions of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act. The matter will be held on Wednesday. On October 18, while hearing a writ petition, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice B P Deshpande had admitted a PIL.
) suo motu after observing that illegal constructions were taking place on the government land unabated and unchecked. Despite there beingadequate statutory mechanisms and machinery available the authorities concerned appeared to be lax in discharging of their duties due to which the encroachers and other were emboldened not only to encroach upon the government land, but also carry out illegal constructions without requisite statutory permissions.