Discloses 88 have been served demolition notices; compliance report on remaining structures in 10 days
PANAJI
The Village Panchayat of Arambol on Monday submitted to the Bombay High Court at Goa its decision to demolish 125 illegal structures from among the 216 identified in Girkarwado in the coastal village.
The panchayat also disclosed that 88 structures have already been served with demolition notices. The submission was made during a hearing related to a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL), where the Division Bench of Justice M S Sonak and Valmiki Menezes were further apprised that demolition activities are nearing completion, with only minor debris to be cleared.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), one of the respondents in the PIL, submitted that out of the 216 inspected structures, 66 structures required consent to operate and among these, 13 have obtained the required permission.
Pavithran A V, the legal representative for the Board, added that closure notices have been issued for the remaining 53 structures, which have subsequently been sealed.
Deepak Gaonkar, representing the Arambol VP emphasised that they have decided to demolish 125 structures out of the 216 identified. He further clarified that 88 demolition orders have been issued and served, with the remaining orders scheduled to be served to the respective owners of these illegal structures in the next 15 days.
“The commercial establishments remain sealed. Among the remaining 91 structures, 21 have been issued show-cause notices, which will be resolved within 30 days. A compliance report regarding the remaining structures will be submitted within 10 days, indicating the course of action adopted by the Panchayat,” he stated.
About two months ago, both the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority and the panchayat in separate affidavits submitted to the High Court that over 250 illegal structures, temporary and permanent were identified in Girkarwado. They also reported that the process of issuing show-cause notices was underway. The panchayat had informed the High Court about issuing a show cause notice to Girkarwado Panch Bernard Fernandes, questioning his failure to address the illegality.
