PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa asked the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to inspect the site and file status report whether M/s Goveia Resorts/Waterfront, Siolim had restored the lagoon to its original dimensions i.e. 125m x 80m.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Mohinder Kaur Paintal, Adv Parag Rao, counsel for the M/s Goveia Resorts/Waterfront filed a compliance report indicating partial compliance. However, the Court extended the time for completing the balance works of restoring the lagoon up to April 10, 2024 and directed the respondent to file a compliance report by April 12, 2024.
The Court further stated that the GCZMA must inspect the site and report on the status of the compliance by April 17.
Adv Rao assured the Court that Rs five lakh would be deposited within two weeks from the date of previous order.
Advocate General (AG) Devidas Pangam submitted a detailed list of water bodies in the State and a communication dated March 19, 2024 addressed by the Water Resources chief engineer addressed to the Member Secretary of the Goa State Wetlands Authority enclosing the list of water bodies in the State.
Though 29 wetlands/water bodies have been included in the draft notification, 15 wetlands/water bodies have been notified in the State. Nanda Lake situated at Cacora in Quepem Taluka is designed as Goa’s first Wetland of international importance.
Though notified wetlands/water bodies are conserved and managed as per the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, the Court has observed that certain activities such as conversion for non-wetland uses, including encroachment of any kind; setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries; manufacture or handling or storage or disposal of construction and demolition waste covered under the Construction and demolition waste; hazardous substances; solid waste dumping; discharge of untreated wastes; construction of a permanent nature and poaching will be prohibited within the wetlands.
As the wetlands included in the draft notification are concerned, the Court apprehended that laxity of the enforcement agencies would lead to the destruction of these water bodies/wetlands, even before any final notification was issued. There are instances of filling up water bodies and wetlands for environmental commercial exploitation. Solid wastes are invariably dumped in low-lying lands, water bodies and wetlands for environmental commercial exploitation or conversion for non-wetland uses, many a times surreptitiously in the night hours. Still, the authorities who are enjoined in the task of preventing such breaches hardly take any action. Even if complaints are filed, no action is forthcoming, the Court.
The Court will now on March 27, further hear the Advocate General as regards orders for the protection of the water bodies mentioned in the list.
