PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has ordered the immediate suspension of all inland water sports activities by riverine crafts after the government admitted that the Department of Tourism had never notified or demarcated the mandatory operational zones required under its monsoon water sports policy.
Pronouncing the order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Monday, the Court also restrained the Fisheries Department from issuing any fresh No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for inland water sports till further orders.
The direction comes as the State admitted that, despite a policy permitting certain monsoon water sports, no designated operational zones had ever been notified by the Tourism Department. Recording the submissions, the Court observed that in the absence of clearly demarcated zones, permitting such activities could pose serious safety risks to touris ts, passengers and the general public.“In the absence of clearly demarcated zones, allowing such activities could pose serious safety risks to tourists, passengers and the general public,” the Bench ob served. The PIL had sought a complete ban on inland water sports till the Tourism Department formally identified and notified operational zones. The petitioner contended that under the department’s notification, water sports are prohibited during the monsoon season from May 21 to September 15 because of adverse weather conditions. However, despite this prohibition, the Captain of Ports Department was allegedly granting permissions for inland water sports without any notified operational zones, in violation of the prescribed regulatory framework.
The Court stressed that public safety must take precedence and held that inland water sports can be permitted only within a properly regulated framework.
The order comes days after the Goa government itself withdrew its July 5, 2023 notification that had allowed monsoon water sports on inland waterways. In the rescinding notification on July 16, the government acknowledged that although operators were required to obtain an NOC from the Tourism Department before commencing operations, the department had never notified or demarcated the mandatory monsoon water sports zones envisaged under the policy.
