PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday ordered immediate stay on the development and beautification works at the Morjim turtle nesting beach.
The works that commenced on July 24 allegedly damaged the entire ancient sand dune bank of the beach.
The order was passed by the Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Nivedita Mehta while hearing a PIL filed by Captain Gerald Fernandes, a resident of Morjim and the NGO Goa Foundation.
"To prevent further damage being caused, which is apparently evident from the photographs...by way of ad-interim order, we restrain respondent No 7, the contractor appointed by GTDC, who is engaged for carrying out the works for beautification and provision for basic amenities as proposed by the Corporation, from proceeding with the work assigned to it in the form of 'beautification and providing basic amenities at Morjim beach' by the GTDC, unless we are satisfied that the requisite permissions are in place for the said project," reads the order with the Bench adjourning the matter to August 11.
The petition stated that the citizens of Morjim have been anxiously following the developments in the media relating to proposed activities on Morjim beach, which is a turtle nesting site.
“The petitioners came to know that there was a proposal to commence a new project labelled a beach beautification project at the entrance to the beach areas. Except for a sandy walkway to the beach, the rest of the area is occupied by sand dunes and sand dune vegetation, which are protected as CRZ IA by the CRZ Notification,” it said.
Addressing a press conference thereafter, Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares stated that despite these facts, the GCZMA entertained a proposal from the GTDC to install a Rs 9 crore beach beautification project using cement concrete at the entrance which required the demolition of the entire sand dune bank, blindly accepting the claim of the GTDC that the constructions were “temporary.”
“Without obtaining any permission from the Town Planning or any construction license from the panchayat, and acting purely on the basis of NOC from the GCZMA and the panchayat, the GTDC contractors brought two JCBs at the site and created havoc on the sand dune system over the last 3-4 days. The GTDC action generated anger and rage over the entire state of Goa,” he said.
Alvares explained that the PIL was subsequently filed on Monday afternoon and the court agreed to take it up on Tuesday morning. During the hearing, the petitioners produced latest photographs of activities of beach destruction taking place on July 28 showing that upto 2 metres of sand dune had been excavated and all the sand dune vegetation, including trees, had been completely uprooted.
“There was not a single person of any authority either from the Department of Environment, GCZMA or GTDC at the site,” he said.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam that all work at the site will be suspended till further orders.
