PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has temporarily stayed construction activities at Azossim village, following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that challenged permissions granted for the development of a resort on a tenanted paddy field in the village. 

The interim stay was granted after the High Court recorded an undertaking by Rajesh Khaunte, the promoter of the resort, on Wednesday that he would not carry out further construction activity in the village. 

"Senior Counsel S Kantak on the basis of the instructions from respondent number 7 (Khaunte) makes a statement that the respondent number 7, without prejudice to his rights and contentions, will not, till the next date, undertake any construction /developmental activities in pursuance to the permission granted under the Agro based Eco Tourism Policy governed by the Government. The said statement is accepted,” the bench noted.

The other respondents in the PIL are: Azossim Mandur Panchayat,  Rahul Tendulkar, Anusuya Datta Panvelkar, Anthony Francisco Dias and Maria Conceicao Rodrigues E Dias. All these respondents have been issued notices returnable on March 6, when the matter will be heard next. 

The court is hearing a PIL filed by the St Mateus Tenants Association and the Goa Foundation challenging permissions granted for development of a resort on a tenanted paddy field in khazan land on Survey Number 36/1-A of Azossim village, Mandur. The PIL also sought an order for immediate, ad-interim stay on construction of more than 30 cottages on the same survey number by Khaunte as the construction is being raised on land covered by the Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act. 

The petitioners also prayed for an order directing the respondents to demolish and remove all constructions from the property and to rehabilitate and restore the Survery No.36/1-A to its original condition; for an order quashing and setting aside the conversion sanad, technical clearance and construction licence granted by the panchayat on October 11, 2018.