MARGAO: In a connection with a case being heard before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a ship engineering firm, accused of violating coastal regulations at Chicalim, has proposed to undertake a restoration project costing Rs 4.5 lakh for the affected land independently, citing a lack of response from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to their initial request for assistance.
In response to claims by the Chicalim Villagers Action Committee, who had approached the green tribunal, alleging non-compliance with orders to restore a 3,900 sqm reclaimed area at Chicalim, the violator was directed to both restore the land and provide compensation for past violations. NGT then instructed the GCZMA to take further remedial action.
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Despite orders, the action committee informed the tribunal that the ship engineering company had not fulfilled the restoration obligation. The company, however, informed the NGT that they had received no response from the GCZMA regarding their request for assistance in the restoration efforts.
According to the company’s submission to the NGT, they had written to the GCZMA member secretary on October 6, 2022, seeking guidance on restoration matters. However, they claimed to have received no communication from the GCZMA. Consequently, they independently hired Sangam Enterprises, estimating the restoration cost at Rs 4.5 lakh.
Additionally, the company informed the Captain of Ports (CoP) in November 2022 about the quotation from Sangam Enterprises, expressing their readiness to proceed with restoration independently if necessary.
Despite these efforts, as there was no response from the authorities when they appealed to the NGT, the company requested directions for amending the GCZMA’s order to allow them to conduct the restoration or to instruct the authorities to complete the process within a specified timeframe.
State authorities have requested additional time from the NGT to provide their responses to the matter.
