Crime Branch chargesheets Calangute MLA, 3 others over GCZMA NOC
Crime Branch of Goa Police on Friday filed a 500-page chargesheet bearing statements from almost 50 witnesses at Judicial Magistrate First Class, Mapusa against North Goa Planning and Development Authority chairman and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, former director and ex-officio joint secretary of Department of Science and Technology Dr Naraina Sinai Varde, retired draftsman of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) Wilfred Alosyius Nicolau Joao, and Francis ‘Franky’ Viegas in connection with a 2009 case of forgery of GCZMA No-Objection Certificate.
Forged NOC indicated that the plot, then under development by Lobo’s company, was located beyond 500 mts High Tide Line (HTL). This effectively placed any development on the plot beyond the purview of provisions of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) notification, 1991.
The offence which occurred in 2006 and an FIR was registered in 2009 under Section 468, 471, 201 read with 34 of IPC.
The said property was initially owned by one Gurnek Singh Mann, a British national, who had given the contract of developing a residential project on the plot to M/s One Stop owned by Lobo.
Lobo secured the forged NOC as well as a construction license in Mann’s name and then, along with Frankie, his partners in firm M/s Elit Builders, used the forged NOC to get construction license and NOCs for construction from Calangute village Panchayat and Town and Country Planning Department, Mapusa.
Lobo and Frankie proceeded to purchase the property from Mann in 2007 and the duo managed to obtain occupancy certificate for the project without possessing conversion sanad from authorities.
In 2010, GCZMA Member Secretary Michael D'Souza had filed complaint against Lobo and officials of GCZMA for forging CRZ No Objection Certificate for the project.
Over the course of investigation, hard disks from official computers of GCZMA at Saligao were attached by Crime Branch under panchnama and were forwarded to Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad. CFSL examination reports certified that the forged letter was generated on official computer of GCZMA.
However, from April 24, 2006 to August 11, 2006, the inward register of GCZMA, Saligao did not bear any mention of the NOC in question.
In addition to this, while GCZMA outward register for June 17, 2006 began with serial number ‘1534’, the forged NOC bearing the same date has outward number ‘406’.
Crime Branch also stated that Lobo has destroyed evidence and has failed to produce the forged NOC.
