HC concludes connivance between TCP and builder
Putturaju’s affidavit to dismiss petition against builder displays clear intentions
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The judgment of the High Court in the People’s Movement for Civic Action V/s Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority referred to as The Aldeia De Goa, a DB Reality project, has made scathing observations and a severe indictment on the Town and Country Planning Department and the Chief Town planner ST Putturaju. The observations are clear, unequivocal and deeply embarrassing for the State government. The court stopped just short of issuing directions for action against Mr Putturaju but said enough to warrant severe action against those who run the department.
Para 56 of the Judgment of Justice Roshan Dalvi states “The petitioners have steadfastly opposed the wholly illegal construction of Respondent no 6 (the builders DB Realty, the custodians of the Aldeia de Goa villa project at Bambolim) in the No Development Zone of the CRZ within the 100 metres setback line. The petitioners have justifiably contented that there is connivance between government authorities and respondent No 6. Not strangely, all the files of the Town Planning and Village Panchayat’s offices are stated to be missing”.
In Para 59 Justice Dalvi observes “When I find that the noble law has been ignobly breached, I cannot bring myself to permit the breach as all public authorities before the Court have done”.
It is important to note that the Chief Town Planner had filed an affidavit in the said writ petition 659/2010 on 14/11/2010 that the contentions raised had no merit and were liable to be dismissed. The High Court order is a clear indictment of the Chief Town Planner and a rejection of his attempt to get the petition against DB Realty dismissed.
The issue was recently raised by the Goa Parivartan Manch, which plans to start an awareness initiative on the issue.
The questions before this government are:
a) How did CTP Putturaju reach the conclusion that the petition had no merit?
b) How did crucial project files go missing from the TCP office? What has been done to trace them?
c) Why has the government not probed the direct charge made by the High Court that government authorities (strongly pointing at the CTP) and the Respondent (the builder) connived?
d) Why has no action been initiated against the TCP and its senior officials for the breach of the noble law?
