Team Herald
Panjim: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has dismissed the plea filed by the Velsao village panchayat against the railway double-tracking work. The Velsao village panchayat had filed a writ petition against the project undertaken by the South Western Railways (SWR) and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) in their jurisdiction. The panchayat had sought directions to remove the structures and construction material placed within the jurisdiction of the panchayat in a time-bound manner and also asked for a declaration that no construction or development work would be carried out by the SWR and RVNL without a licence from the Village Panchayat.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam has responded that under Section 11 of the Railways Act, the Railway Administration does not require any permission to lay railway tracks. “The HC has rejected the petition saying that there is no need for any permission from any authority, not even the panchayat, to lay railway tracks,” said AG Pangam.
