PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday directed the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) to restore a hill near Taleigao Church and to recover the expenses towards the restoration from the respondent Estonio Francisco De Almeida.
During the last hearing in March last year, the Court had asked the Member Secretary of the NGPDA to look into the complaint of hill cutting and to initiate action as per the law as expeditiously as possible. However, taking the excuse of the cyclone, the NGPDA told the court that the hill was eroded and had now become difficult to restore.
However, Adv Rohit Bras de Sa, arguing on behalf of the petitioner former Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor Tony Rodrigues, challenged the NGPDA’s contention and produced a copy of stop-work order dated October 13, 2021 issued by the North Goa Collector to Estonio Francisco De Almeida.
He told the Court that the petitioner had filed several complaints to the NGPDA seeking action against the illegal hill
cutting.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Mahesh S Sonak and Justice B P Deshpande sought to know from NGPDA whether an FIR was filed against the person involved in illegal hill cutting at Taleigao. The Court then directed the NGPDA to prepare a plan to restore the hill and to recover the expenses incurred towards the restoration work from the respondent Estonio Francisco De Almeida.
The petitioner had approached the High Court praying to stop illegal hill cutting and destruction of the environment in Survey Number 276/6 of Taleigao village. He had stated that the concerned authorities were not taking action to stop the ongoing hill cutting and construction of a bungalow in the said property.
