Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday asked the Goa Coastal Zone management Authority (GCZMA) to take action against establishments built near the Olive Ridley turtle nesting site at Agonda Beach, a protected area, failing which it pass an order to seal all the premises.
During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by Aman Gupta regarding construction of buildings in No Development Zone (NDZ) and near the turtle nesting site at Agonda, the Court asked the GCZMA to take action failing which it will pass an order to seal all the premises.
The petitioner stated that Agonda Beach is a protected area marked as a nesting site of Olive Ridley turtles. The GCZMA had declared the beach as a No Development Zone (NDZ) and 82,000 square metres beach area was marked as a turtle nesting site and has held that Agonda Beach has zero carrying capacity.
The petitioner further contended that some construction is going on next to the beach and any commercial activity would harm the ecosystem.
During the last hearing, the GCZMA had stated that it had inspected the area and had initiated some action. But none of the establishments has been shut, the petitioner said.
Petitioner’s counsel Adv Vivek Rodrigues said that as per the beach carrying capacity report, zero establishment can be put up at Agonda beach being a turtle nesting site.
The court also allowed an intervention application filed by the Alchemist Asset reconstruction through its officer Akshat Sharma. Sharma had had also filed complaints and based upon which some action like issuing show cause notices were taken by the GCZMA but the same not taken to its logical conclusion.