PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the District Collectors to identity stone crushing units operating without conversion sanads and issue them notices giving them a timeframe to obtain permission.
“We direct the Collectors of North and South Goa Districts to identify the stone crushing units operating without Conversion Sanads and issue notices to the stone crushing units calling upon them to either place on record the Conversion Sanads or give them a stipulated time to apply for Conversion Sanad. The exercise of issuance of notices to the units to be carried out within a period of six weeks from today (October 11),” the order of the division bench of Justices N M Jamdar and Prithviraj Chavan states.
Sao Jose De Areal Villagers Union had approached the high court on the government’s failure to crack the whip on illegal stone crushing units despite directions from the court in the past.
The bench observed that the government does have the powers to examine each case on its own to grant permission to convert the land to a non-agricultural use, but Section 35 of the Act (Goa Land Revenue Code) does not empower the State to issue a notification in respect of the lands on which stone crushing units are operating.
“The lands where the stone crushing units are operating as on 31 December 2007 cannot be considered as a class of land under the Code for the purpose of Section. It will be incumbent upon the stone crushing units to apply for Conversion Sanads and after permission was granted, or Conversion Sanad is obtained that this activity can be considered as legal,” it said, passing the order on issuance of notices to the units operating without conversion sanads.
The bench has now fixed the matter for further hearing on December 8 when the State will have to submit its report on the development during this period.
