CALANGUTE: Officials from the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR), along with the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB), on Tuesday, carried out a site inspection of the Candolim ‘bundh’ following directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), in a petition filed by the Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF).
The CCF had claimed that the Water Resources Department (WRD) has carried out the work of repairing the old ‘bundh’ from Nerul bridge to Caculo house in violation of the Environment Protection Act and CRZ rules.
The State government had in 2013 initiated repairs of the Candolim ‘bundh’ and beautification of the Nerul riverside on the Candolim side, with a walkway and various activities and facilities for visitors. As part of this, the 1.7 km-long ‘bundh’ was repaired by the WRD to prevent flooding of the low-lying area.
The CCF had also claimed that the work was being done to benefit builders, who had brought property there without road access and had stated that the work violated the Environment Protection Act and CRZ rules.
In a statement on Tuesday, CCF president Premanand Divkar said, “The process of mapping the entire work area was carried out by DSLR team to assess actual width of the ‘bundh’ and other land area covered. The WRD has carried out the work in violation of Environment Protection Act and CRZ rules. Planning and executing such environmentally destructive project is certainly not in the interest of the village but looks to be in the interest of builders lobby at the cost of public fund.”
The CCF have also demanded that an inquiry be initiated “against the WRD officers involved in planning such destructive project and wasting public fund for self interest”.
