The North Goa Principal District and Ses sions Court on Wednes day directed the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) to stop further construction at the site of the proposed Unity Mall at Chimbel and to maintain status quo till the application for in terim relief is decided on merit. The applicant had stat ed that construction ac tivities were going on in full force and in case the respondents were not stopped from going on with the construction, the application will become infructuous. He had stated that the proposed project will have direct impact on the notified wetland, namely Toyyar Lake or Chimbel Lake, a critical ecological catchment and historic water sources essential for ground wa ter recharge, biodiversity and the livelihood of the local villagers, particu larly the indigenous and tribal communities. Following the court or der, no construction or re lated activity can be car ried out at the Unity Mall site as of now, the counsel for the petitioner said. By an order dated 6/12/2025 the District Court had granted ad-in terim relief in favour of the applicant to the ex tent of staying the execu tion and operation of the Order dated 5/12/2025 passed by the Deputy Di rector of Panchayat and consequently the order of the Tiswadi BDO passed on 28/11/2025 was stayed. As per the earlier order of the BDO dated 28/11/2025 the Chimbel Village Panchayat was di rected to issue construc tion licence.
When this order was stayed, the panchayat could not have issued the construction licence, said Adv Om D’Costa, who argued on behalf of the applicant. Representing the GTDC, Adv Shivan Desai submitted that the applicant had no locus standi to raise any objec tion to a public project and the GTDC had all the licences. He further contended that there was no challenge to the construction licence issued to the GTDC. However, the villagers declared that they will continue their hunger strike against the Unity Mall till it is scrapped by the government.. Though the Court pronounced the order, a delegation of Chimbel villagers met Chief Minister PramodSawant at Porvorim and demanded that the project be scrapped. Chimbel Biodiversity Management Committee and Wet land Toyyar Lake chairman GovindShirodkar, who had filed an application said, “We will continue our protest un til the government officially announces that the proposed Unity Mall project at the current location in Chimbel is scrapped. Chief Minister and Speaker Ganesh Gaonkar who were present during the meeting requested us to withdraw our hunger strike. I told the Chief Minister that if the GTDC files an appeal against the verdict then the bat tle will continue. I appealed to him to resolve the issue by scrapping the proposed Unity Mall.” Shirodkar claimed that the project was devised by one of the Cabinet Ministers, who wanted access to the prop erty. TukaramKunkolker, a villager said, “During our meeting with the Chief Minister, we demanded to scrap both – Uni ty Mall and the Prashasan Stambh projects from Chimbel village. On Thursday, we will peacefully march towards Goa Legislative Assembly demanding to scrap the two projects and protect ChimbelToyyar Lake.” Meanwhile, the villagers have decided to hold a mega march to the Legislative Assembly, Porvorim at 10 am on Thursday, January 15, to demand scrapping of the project. The Chief Minister appealed to the Chimbel protestors to call off ongoing the protest over the Unity Mall project and to resolve the issue through discussions with the gov ernment. After meeting the protestors, Sawant said that the gov ernment is ready to hold talks and address their concerns. He urged the protestors to engage in dialogue and also listen to the government’s perspective. The protestors have remained firm on their stand and have decided to continue their agitation until the govern ment scraps the Unity Mall project. Meanwhile AAP MLA Capt. Venzy Viegas welcomed the District and Sessions Court’s order quashing the construc tion licence for the proposed Unity Mall, likening the rul ing to ‘til gul’ being offered to those opposing the project on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Addressing the media, Capt Viegas said, “Til gul ghya, god god bola — let’s speak sweetness, but don’t forget the deeper issues at play.” He emphasised that while the court’s gesture reflects the cultural warmth of Makar Sankranti, it also under scores the need for authorities and developers to heed public concerns about environmental impact, transparen cy, and civic planning. “We accept the spirit of goodwill today,” Capt Viegas added, “but the voice of the people must be respected when it comes to projects affecting our community and surroundings.” The MLA praised the judiciary for its role in uphold ing public interest and environmental safeguards, urg ing all stakeholders to use the ruling as an opportunity for constructive dialogue rather than ignoring citizens’ concerns.
