Welcoming the Bombay High Court order quashing the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA)’s demolition order by directing it to grant a personal hearing of 61-odd petitioners from Katem Baina; Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) has demanded that the state government come out with a special ordinance to regularise fishermen’s houses in the state.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, GRE’s joint general secretary Olencio Simoes claimed that the High court order would provide immense relief to 121 houses at Baina in which 900 families have been residing.
Simoes accused the state government of working against the poor and traditional fishermen of Goa by completely “bypassing” laws of the land and by snatching the right to life and livelihood and for completely violating the Article 21 of the Constitution.
“The government on one side is “fraudulently” demolishing innocent and ignorant fishermen’s houses, who were residing at the Baina coast for several decades. But today in the name of CRZ 2011 notification, the violation only acts on fishermen’s houses but the same yardstick doesn’t apply for hotels and builder lobby where almost 800 violations are registered with the GCZMA. On the other side, the government should come out with a special ordinance to regularise unauthorized houses,” Simoes said.
He further charged saying, “Government has given liberty to regularise the illegal structures but today the same does not apply for the traditional fishermen who have been living for centuries.”
GRE feels that the Goa Regularization of Unauthorized Construction Ordinance 2016 is “unfairly” constituted and will only benefit certain section and accused the government of protecting its vote bank for the upcoming State Legislative Assembly elections.
He demanded that the State Government should immediately regularise all fishermen houses in Goa.
Govt needs to come out with a similar ordinance to regularise the 121 houses of fishermen at Baina and across Goa, or else the fishermen from Katem Baina would be forced to commit suicide in front of the Chief Minister’s official residence at Altinho, Panjim, he added.
It may be recalled that giving immense relief to the fishermen community from Katem Baina, whose houses were facing the axe of demolition; the High Court of Bombay at Goa quashed and set aside the GCZMA’s demolition order.
Quashing the order, the High Court directed the GCZMA to grant personal hearing to the petitioners so as to give them natural justice. The order was passed in a writ petition filed by Esperance Aurjao, her son Constancio Rodrigues and 60 others.
Hearing the writ petition, on August 11, Justice F M Reis and Justice Nutan D Sardessai granted interim relief to the petitioners from demolition of their structures till August 18.
Similarly, during the second hearing held on August 18, the advocate on behalf of respondents stated that the respondents desire to file a reply opposing the admission of the petition. On August 23, 2016, the respondent filed an affidavit-in-reply and the case was then fixed for final hearing on August 31, with extended relief to the petitioners till August 31, 2016.
During the final hearing, the High Court extended the period of interim relief till September 13, reserving judgment. Later, on September 21 and 22, the interim relief was extended and on September 27, the High Court pronounced its final order quashing GCZMA’s demolition order.
Sources said that from October 14, GCZMA would hold personal hearings and would then pass and further orders.
