PANJIM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday upheld the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) order imposing Rs 2.04 crore environmental compensation on Zon Hotel Pvt Ltd for their illegal construction in the No Development Zone (NDZ) along Candolim Beach.
The NGT Western Bench has directed the hotel to deposit the amount within a period of one month, failing which an interest at the rate of 12 per cent per year would be chargeable till the time the same is realised.
The hotel had moved the NGT challenging the environmental compensation imposed on them. Also, a petition against the illegal construction was filed by Goa Foundation and activist Roshan Mathias before the Bombay High Court at Goa, who has been monitoring the implementation of the demolition, as well as restoration of the affected beach. The structure was ordered for demolition in December 2019.
A fresh demolition notice was issued in April 2022 granting 30 days time to implement the order.
“The Appellant has been consistently violating the established norms and procedure of law and was very reluctant to remove illegal construction of the property, so much so that the High Court had to monitor the demolition regularly on various dates. We do not find any infirmity in the impugned order. Accordingly, this Appeal deserves to be rejected and is rejected,” the Green Bench said in its order.
