PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday directed that no commercial activities be permitted in the 21 structures situated within the Arpora-Nagoa Village Panchayat jurisdiction and ordered the authorities to seal the premises.
The Court was hearing public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by Chahit Bansal and Navkaran Singh. During the hearing, senior advocate S S Kantak representing the village panchayat informed the Court that proceedings against eight structures had been dropped following site inspection and production of documents. Earlier, the village panchayat had issued show cause notices to them under Section 72 of Goa Panchayat Raj Act.
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The panchayat secretary Dharmendra Govekar filed an action taken report before the Court stating that the panchayat had issued show cause notices to 21 structures and had sealed the premises. However, some parties approached the Directorate of Panchayats challenging the sealing order and the matter is currently pending before the Additional Director of Panchayats, North.
He also stated that the panchayat had issued a demolition order to a residential structure but the aggrieved party approached the Additional Director of Panchayats and obtained a stay.
However, the petitioner’s counsel Adv Rohit Bras De Sa told the Court that the petitioners had applied for copies of the site inspection report and relevant documents under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, but the panchayat had not furnished them.
Adv De Sa further alleged that the former sarpanch, who has since been disqualified by the government along with certain others were themselves among the violators and that the village panchayat was deliberately withholding information and refusing to place the relevant records before the Court.
The matter has been posted for further consideration on May 5.
