PANJIM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone Bench, Pune has directed to constitute a Joint Committee comprising one member each of the North Goa District Collector, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) to visit the Candolim bundh site.
The GCZMA will be the nodal agency of the Committee, which will submit a fact finding report along with photographs and sketches of the site and further submit action plan and corrective measures as well as environmental damage compensation regarding loss of environment caused by the activities.
The said report should be submitted before the Tribunal within four weeks from the date of uploading of the order.
The Calangute Citizens Forum through its lawyer Adv Rohit Bras De Sa had approached the NGT praying to quash and set aside the GCZMA order dated November 30, 2023 as it was without jurisdiction and illegal and allowing the Water Resources Department (WRD) to carry out constructions.
The Calangute Citizens Forum had challenged the construction of Candolim bundh Nerul bridge to Caculo House, Candolim, causing severe damage to mangroves covering the site in khazan land. The Forum had also alleged that the bund was widened in excess of scope of work as per the tender document and as per the permissions granted by the GCZMA.
The petitioner stated that the original width of the bundh was three metres and the present width is 7.5 metres and if this is allowed the bundh will be converted into a 10-metre-wide public road, which is the primary objective of the WRD to provide access to a property in survey no 12 at Candolim.
