Shocking data has come to the fore after the Bombay High Court took suo moto cognisance of illegal structures at Girikar Wada in Arambol. The Sarpanch informed the court that 179 structures were illegally used for commercial purposes, and all this came to light while the court was hearing a petition against a four-storeyed hotel that violated the no-development zone.
The court has issued directives that authorities, including the panchayat, Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Goa State Pollution Control Board, must verify the legality of these 179 structures and take action before the next hearing on December 20. Authorities are asked to file compliance reports by that date.
Illegalities of 179 structures in just one ward of Arambol reflect the State of affairs along the coastal belt of Goa. While the State has been basking in tourism, the blatant violation of land laws is testimony to the brazen illegalities in Arambol and other coastal areas buzzing commercially. Interestingly, the advocate general in the Arambol case told the court that an impression had been created that everything was for sale in Goa and that people were out to ruin the State.
There is another branch to the transgression in Girikar Wada. What about illegalities that have not come under the scanner of the court? The case in question was being taken to its logical conclusion because of the court’s intervention.
It is a disgrace that the court is doing what authorities should do: protecting Goa’s coastlands. The violations are testimony to the connivance of the various regulatory agencies that are entrusted with the supreme job of ensuring that the laws of the land are respected.
In another case, on Wednesday, the court took an undertaking on behalf of a project proponent to demolish a concrete embankment and structure set up right on the bank of River Sal at Cavelossim in clear violation of CRZ norms. The violator has given an undertaking that he will demolish the structure. The question is, why are the authorities not intervening?
The State government speaks about protecting the biodiversity along River Sal and even seeks central funds to clean the pollution of the arterial river of the South. However, it comes to light that very little is being done to protect it from man-made destruction as structures keep coming up.
Constructions mushrooming along River Sal in violation of the CRZ laws have been a story for the past two decades. Leave alone the 35 sewage discharge points where raw sewage is being channelled into the river by private parties; there have been illegal constructions right on the banks of the river in sheer disregard to laws.
The High Court observations at Arambol point towards a collusion of government agencies, one that could throw Goa’s topography haywire. While there is a fight against zoning plans, there is no concern for the loot and plunder along the coast. It’s high time the State leadership must step up and tighten the screws before every concerned citizen knocks on the court’s door. The disenchantment and frustration in the system is showing.
