PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has ordered demolition of an illegal structure at Sirsaim and also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on the petitioner for deliberately trying to create confusion and postponing the demolition for the last 12 years.
In an order passed on June 9, 2023, High Court Judge Justice Mahesh Sonak had dismissed the writ petition filed by one Madhukar Ganesh Kalangutkar against the Sirsaim Village Panchayat and Mathias Anna Conceicao Carvalho.
Justice Sonak also ordered the petitioner to pay Rs 15,000 to Mathias Carvalho and demolish the illegal structure by August 18, 2023 and file compliance demolition report by August 25.
Though the Court had ordered demolition, the petitioner submitted a letter to the panchayat stating that the structure was situated in another survey number and not in the survey number mentioned in the order.
As the demolition was delayed, on August 24 the panchayat filed a miscellaneous civil application before the Court giving reasons and sought time for demolition. In its order dated September 15, the Court found reasons unsatisfactory and directed the panchayat to demolish the structure within three weeks and to file compliance report on October 19.
Stating that the structure cannot be regularised the HC has also directed the panchayat not to entertain any letters from any parties and based on it not to either refuse or delay to comply with its orders.
As per the high court order, in November 2010, Mathias Anna Conceicao Carvalho had approached Village Panchayat Sirsaim with a complaint that Madhukar Kalangutkar had carried out an illegal construction of house and asbestos structure at Sirsaim, Bardez.
