The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the authorities to demolish illegal structures located near the turtle nesting site at Morjim beach. The order is to be carried out in the next 10 days to raze the 56 structures built by 23 violators. This is just an example of how illegal structures come up along various beaches and the long-drawn process of petition, court appearances, lawyers’ fees, time spent to get justice, etc.
When the constructions are completed and are up and running – food shacks, cloth or curios or dry fruit shops, etc. – then a well-meaning citizen or the panchayat files a complaint and then starts the merry-go-round of files, visits to various government departments, court cases and stay orders. During all these happenings, the illegal constructions continue to exist, and businesses flourish till demolition is carried out, if at all. In all this spectacle, people suffer, biodiversity takes a beating and the beach environment gets degraded. How is it that when illegal structures are being built there is no checking, nor leakage of the news to the panchayat, nor to the local MLA/Minister? After all, they keep their ears to the ground and would be aware of the goings-on in their constituency. They have the wherewithal to stop the illegalities, if they have the will to do so.
