MAPUSA
The Bombay High Court at Goa on Monday stepped into the controversial construction at Candolim, issuing notices to the State government and a host of authorities on allegations that a sprawling 7,000-plus sq m complex has come up in violation of coastal and planning laws, including within the No Development Zone.
The notices were issued on a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Calangute Constituency Forum, which has alleged that multiple RCC structures, a swimming pool and extensive hard landscaping have been raised on Survey No 112/19 at Candolim, with portions of the development falling within the 0-200 metre NDZ and the 200-500 metre CRZ-III belt.
Appearing for the petitioners, Advocate Rohit Bras De Sa told the court that the alleged violations were not confined to construction alone, but also involved the destruction and manipulation of sand dunes and coastal vegetation.
The petitioners have further alleged that commercial activities continue on the property despite an earlier court order restricting the use of the premises.
The court has sought responses from the State government, GCZMA, TCP department, Collector, Candolim panchayat and other respondents.
The matter has been posted for October 12.
The PIL has brought into focus a property that, according to the petitioners, was once subject to a far more restrictive development regime following an earlier High Court case concerning the same survey number.
The forum has relied on the proceedings in W.P. No. 414/1998, Goa Foundation v United Breweries & Ors, claiming that the earlier order permitted only a single residential unit beyond 200 metres from the HTL and did not authorise commercial development or construction within the 200-metre NDZ.
The petition alleges that the property subsequently underwent extensive development, with the present built-up area estimated at around 7,326 sq m, substantially exceeding the earlier approvals cited by the petitioners.
The forum has also placed before the court records of GCZMA inspections and proceedings which, it claims, recorded illegal construction and damage to dunes and vegetation.
It has alleged that although the coastal authority directed restoration and removal of encroachments, effective demolition and ecological restoration have not followed.
Adding another layer to the dispute, the petitioners have alleged that the Candolim panchayat issued trade and establishment licences for the structures despite the wider dispute over their legality.
The PIL seeks demolition of unauthorised structures, sealing of the premises, prevention of further construction or commercial exploitation and comprehensive restoration of the damaged dunes and vegetation.
The petition also points to action previously initiated by the Candolim panchayat, which issued a show-cause notice in May 2025 and subsequently passed a demolition order on June 30, 2025. That order was later stayed in appeal.
The petitioners have now approached the High Court contending that a series of inspections, notices and regulatory orders have failed to translate into effective enforcement, leaving the allegedly unauthorised structures in place.
GCZMA destroying coastline it is supposed to protect: CCF
MAPUSA: The President of the Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) and petitioner in the latest Public Interest Litigation, Agnelo Barreto, has launched a scathing attack on the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), accusing the coastal regulator of turning a blind eye to blatant violations in Goa’s coastal belt.
“GCZMA is destroying the coastline which they are supposed to save,” Barreto told The Goan, alleging that the authority’s failure to effectively enforce its own directions was encouraging continued violations.
Barreto said the CCF had so far filed six PILs concerning structures allegedly located within the No Development Zone (NDZ) and High Tide Line (HTL)-regulated areas.
“Of these, two clubs have been demolished, while two residential bungalows against which demolition orders have been issued are still standing tall,” he said.
He claimed that the cases reflected a wider problem of ineffective enforcement, where regulatory findings and demolition orders were not necessarily followed by action on the ground.
The latest PIL filed by the CCF concerns Survey No 112/19 at Candolim, where the forum has alleged large-scale unauthorised construction, including structures within the NDZ and the 200-500 metre CRZ-III belt.
