Goa SEAC sees red over hill cutting, quarrying at St Cruz

PANAJI

The Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee has launched a probe after complaints of illegal hill cutting and illegal mining of mud from a construction site in Santa Cruz that is currently underway.

The SEAC has issued a notice to the project proponent Nitin Kenkre calling on the project proponents to submit all permissions issued for the project as well as has conducted a site inspection to ascertain the nature and scale of the violations.

In his complaint, the complainant Joe Gomes has alleged that the contractor was illegally mining a hill under the garb of requiring the soil for making a service road in Survey No. 110/1 and 111/1 in Calapur village. 

“The contractor has been mining the hill for the sole purpose of building a commercial project on the said land, which otherwise was a beautiful hill with several cashew trees and other forest trees,” the complaint alleged. 

Hill cutting, quarrying and carrying off mud requires including that to be used for the ongoing highway projects requires special permission from the mines department 

“It has been observed by members of the SEAC that you are carrying out excavation/ground levelling activities in the above area without the required permissions,” the SEAC said in its notice to the project proponents. 

The site, which falls adjacent to the building hosting the Cafe Coffee Day along the slope  towards the Goa Medical College has been excavated “without taking any permission from the relevant authorities,” according to a complaint that has been filed with the Environment Appraisal Committee. 

“The mud was excavated and used elsewhere. The site poses danger to human life… the contractor responsible has flouted all laws and has caused great damage to the environment and has put lives at risk,” the complainant Joe Gomes said in his complaint. 

In response to the notice, the project proponents Nitin Kenkre and Dr Sandeep Kenkre, however claimed that “the said property is not affected by any of the provisions of the environmental laws” while also seeking a copy of the inspection report while seeking more time to respond to the notice.