Team Herald
MARGAO: The High Court of Bombay at Goa was informed about the progress of show cause notices issued by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) in the ongoing public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Antonio Alvares about the discharge of sewage into Saipem lake and River Sal.
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During the hearing, MMC’s representative, Adv Somnath Karpe, updated the court that 163 out of 285 show cause notices had been resolved. These notices had been issued to various establishments in Margao, with 94 still pending, primarily targeting commercial and residential units. The Council sought three more weeks to process the remaining 122 notices.
The division bench, consisting of Justices M S Karnik and Valmiki Menezes, instructed the Council to complete the processing of the remaining 94 show cause notices within three weeks.
Additionally, the Council was ordered to file a
detailed affidavit in response to a note submitted by the Amicus Curiae within two weeks.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), which is also a respondent in the case, requested more time to submit a status report, pointing to ongoing site activities.
Their representative, adv Manish Salkar, explained that more time was needed to compile a report on the actions taken regarding the issues at hand. The court granted the Board two weeks to file this report.
Adv Gauravvardhan Nadkarni and Adv Neha Shirodkar appeared as Amicus Curiae, while Additional Government Advocate Prashil Arolkar represented the state.
The High Court scheduled the next hearing for October 21, when the court will review the progress made on the pending notices and the reports from GSPCB.
