MAPUSA
A major hospitality project under construction in Candolim has come under the scanner of the Bombay High Court at Goa after the court admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that the development has been carried out in blatant violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) laws and without mandatory clearance from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
The High Court has issued notices to the GCZMA and the Candolim Panchayat, directing them to respond to the allegations made in the petition. While the court has not granted an interim stay on the ongoing construction at this stage, the admission of the PIL has brought the controversial project under judicial scrutiny.
The PIL has been filed by the Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF), represented by its president Agnelo Barretto, against Sunpark Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and government authorities responsible for regulating development in the coastal belt.
The petitioner has alleged that nearly 90 per cent of the project site falls within the CRZ, making prior approval from the GCZMA a mandatory legal requirement before any construction activity could commence.
According to the petition, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department granted technical approval to the project on September 26, 2023, even though the developer had not obtained the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the GCZMA.
It further alleges that the Candolim panchayat subsequently issued a construction licence without verifying compliance with CRZ regulations, thereby facilitating what the petitioner describes as an illegal development.
The PIL further states that a site inspection carried out on February 13, 2025, found the structure to be substantially complete, with construction continuing despite the absence of statutory coastal clearance.
It alleges that although inspection reports highlighted the irregularities, authorities failed to issue a stop-work order or initiate proceedings against the developer, allowing the project to progress almost unhindered.
The petitioner has also accused the project of causing irreversible environmental damage, claiming that satellite imagery and official inspection records show the destruction of vegetation, sand dunes and other ecologically sensitive features protected under the CRZ Notification.
The PIL argues that the authorities’ continued inaction amounts to a failure to discharge their statutory duty to protect Goa’s fragile coastline.
“This is not merely about one hotel project but about the systematic erosion of environmental laws in Goa. If mandatory GCZMA permissions can be bypassed and construction allowed to continue until it is almost complete, then the entire purpose of the CRZ Notification stands defeated,” CCF president Agnelo Barretto told The Goan.
Barretto said the forum had approached every authority concerned through complaints, representations and legal notices before moving the High Court.
“We have relied on official records obtained under the RTI Act, inspection reports and satellite imagery. The issue before the court is whether statutory authorities entrusted with protecting Goa’s coastline can permit a project of this magnitude to proceed without mandatory CRZ clearance. We believe accountability must be fixed,” he said.
In the PIL, the CCF has sought cancellation of the TCP approval and the Candolim panchayat construction licence, immediate suspension of all construction activities, restoration of the site to its original condition and action against both the project proponents and public officials allegedly responsible for permitting the development.
The case is expected to assume significance as it raises larger questions over the enforcement of CRZ regulations and the role of statutory authorities in safeguarding Goa’s environmentally sensitive coastal zones.
