PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the PWD and Electricity Department to file compliance report within next two months about the circumstances in which water and power connections were released to an unauthorised building, which also had no Occupancy Certificate at Khobravaddo, Calangute.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Mahesh S Sonak and Justice B P Deshpande has asked both the heads of department to give all facts including details of officers involved in releasing connections to the premises.
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“The record bears out that there is no Occupancy Certificate issued in respect of the said premises. At least prima facie, the construction was unauthorised. Yet, we were constrained to express our surprise at how electricity and water connections were released to these premises to facilitate commercial activity through the same. No explanation was, however, offered by the State in this regard,” the Court said.
The court has also asked the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to dispose of the show cause dated July 25, 2023 issued to Ashok Meher in accordance with law and on its own merits. Similarly, the Calangute village panchayat has been asked to dispose of the show cause notice dated July 12, 2023 issued to Meher, by granting an opportunity of hearing to both – the petitioners and the respondent.
Both – the GCZMA and the Calangute panchayat has been asked to file compliance reports soon after disposing the notices and also to communicate the decisions to all the parties.
The premises will remain closed till both the GCZMA and the Calangute panchayat to dispose the show cause notices. The respondent has also been directed not to occupy the premises with obtaining an Occupancy Certificate.
The court also disposed of the miscellaneous civil application filed by Cruz Silveira and Paulo J Mascarenhas. Adv Rohit Bras De Sa argued on behalf of the petitioners.
