Team Herald
PANJIM: The Santa Cruz village panchayat will not issue Occupancy Certificates to the buildings at Calapor, which is subject to the outcome of the order of High Court of Bombay at Goa.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The division comprising Justice M S Karnik and Justice Nivedita P Mehta has asked the Deputy Solicitor General of India to take instructions on the aspect of relaxation of setback, which according to the petitioner’s counsel Adv Rohit Bras De Sa, only the Government of India was empowered to grant the same.
Adv Deepak Gaonkar on instruction from the panchayat secretary Divakar Mahadev Salelkar who was personally present in the Court, stated that though the decision to grant Occupancy Certificate was taken, it was not issued.
The petitioners Swapnesh Sherlekar and Samil Volvaikar, had highlighted blatant violation of the Regional Plan 2021 and the Goa Building Rules and Regulation 2010 and had prayed to stay all development and construction activity at Calapor, Bambolim till final disposal of the petition.
The petitioners had also brought to the notice of the Court that the technical clearance granted by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department for proposed construction of commercial buildings and revised existing access road was resulting in traffic congestion on the adjacent national highway 66. The deputy town planner did not inspect the site prior to granting of the technical clearance order, the petitioners had claimed.
The petitioners alleged indiscriminate hill cutting and brought to the notice of the Court that the Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (GSEAC) in March 2023, had clearly recorded that the deponent was illegally undertaking mining of a hill under the garb of requiring the soil for making service road in Survey No. 110/1 and 111/1 in Calapor Village.
The Court had observed that the PWD works division VII (NH), Panjim approved relaxation of highway setback line of 30 metres from the centre of the national highway 66 at Calapor Village.
The Court has now listed the matter for further hearing on January 13, 2025.
