Govt appeal against interim order to be heard today

PANJIM, DEC 23 
Alarmed by the agitation of the Candolim people last week for removal of M/s M V River Princess, the State Government has filed an appeal against the interim order of the Sessions Court that restrained it from interfering with work contracted to M/s Jaisu Shipping Company Pvt Ltd, to tow away the vessel.   And, the matter has been listed for hearing, on Wednesday.
Candolim people resorted to resorted to road blockade and paralysed traffic in the coastal belt, almost for five hours to demand a concrete plan of action for removal of the vessel that has been lying grounded off the Candolim Beach since June 6, 2000.
The Sessions Judge U V Bakre in August this year had passed an interim order restraining the Government from terminating the agreement, or making any demand on the applicant, M/s Jaisu Shipping Company Pvt Ltd. 
The shipping company had gone to court after  Tourism  Department  issued  show  cause notice to it when it failed to  tow  away the vessel  within a stipulated period of  180 days and as to why an amount of  Rs 30 lakh  for a certain period should  not be recovered  from it as liquidated damages,  and further  to show cause  why the agreement should not be terminated.
On May 1, 2007  it  had entered into an agreement with the Department of  Tourism to tow away the  vessel ,  however  failed to complete the work within the given period and  had sought extension of time till December 31, 2008    on the grounds that it was not able to complete the work due to impending rains 
The department had also en cashed the bank guarantee of Rs 5.5 crore deposited by the company.
However, granting interim relief to the applicant, the Sessions Court had also restrained the Government from taking action against the shipping company or from awarding the work of removal of the vessel to any other party.