PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday directed the government authorities to seal as many as 61 structures at Girkarwado-Dando, Arambol in Pernem taluka, which were identified as illegal during joint survey/inspection carried out by the Village Panchayat, GSPCB and GCZMA.
The Court has directed immediate stopping of commercial activities, if any, in these alleged illegal premises, while hearing writ petition filed by Ravi Harmalkar and Rajesh Dabholkar and suo motu public interest litigation (PIL).
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During the last hearing, Arambol sarpanch Bernand Fernandes had filed an affidavit stating that approximately 187 establishments such as bars and restaurants and guest houses along the coast of Girkarwada-Dando, Arambol were prima facie no permissions form the village panchayat.
Based on the sarpanch’s affidavit, the Division Bench comprising Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice B P Deshpande, had asked the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to conduct a survey/inspection at Girkarwada-Dando and to find out the status of these structures and also other structures built and operating for commercial purposes without any permissions from the GCZMA, GSPCB and the Arambol village panchayat. The GSPCB was asked to check whether these establishments had obtained consent to operate and if not, to immediately closed down such establishments.
The sarpanch was also asked to file a status of the action taken report while the Director of Panchayats was asked to hold an inquiry into the affairs of the panchayat after Court observed that the sarpanch and his close relatives had themselves put up prima facie illegal constructions and were operating guest houses without any permissions from the GCZMA and the GSPCB.
The GSPCB in its compliance report stated 61 structures were operating without consent to operate and they will be sealed. The Board had issued closure notices to 11 commercial establishments. The matter has been posted for next hearing on Jan 17.
