PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa on Tuesday directed the Goa Tourism Department to process a river cruise licence in favour of Celestial Cruises & Hospitality LLP who were denied permission by the department on grounds that “the Government has imposed a ban on new registration of water sport activities.”
Hearing a petition filed by the cruise company, the High Court ruled that “based on the reason stated in the impugned communication dated 08.11.2023, registration could not have been refused by the Department of Tourism.”
The petitioners had told the court that they had already been awarded a tender by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation Limited (GTDC) in respect of this very cruise vessel but was unable to provide this cruise vessel to GTDC for want of registration.
The High Court noted that the Tourism Department failed to explain how plying of a cruise vessel would result in congestion on the beaches which was the basis of the order banning fresh registration of water sports activities.
Besides, this is a case where the Petitioner has been awarded tender by GTDC to provide this cruise vessel and in the interim to ply this cruise vessel. The GTDC is also a Government Company, the High Court noted.
"We direct the Prescribed Authority to register the cruise vessel subject to payment of the specified fees and compliance with the specified formalities. This exercise must be completed by the Prescribed Authority within one week from today without requiring the Petitioner to once again institute a Contempt Petition,” the High Court bench of Justices M S Sonak and Valmiki Sa Menezes ruled.
