PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has closed a long-pending Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over the alleged filling of the Mashem creek in Canacona for the new NH-17 alignment, after State authorities assured that the area under and around the Mashem bridge will remain free from any earth-filling or obstruction to the river flow.
The Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Ashish Chavan accepted the assurance given by the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) and directed that no filling or reclamation should take place in the creek area. “Authorities must ensure that there is no land filling or reclamation of the river area in any form, as it would obstruct the river flow,” the Court stated.
The PIL was filed in 2018 by local resident Pamela Rodrigues, alleging that part of Mashem creek was filled during highway construction despite villagers’ objections, which led to a sandbar at the creek’s mouth and flooding in Loliem village during heavy rains. She sought restoration of the creek, removal of embankments on the southern side, and cancellation of permissions granted by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
Earlier, on September 4, 2018, the Court had cited a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the Captain of Ports, banning dumping or filling in riverine areas. An inspection report had found that low-lying marshy land was filled to facilitate movement of construction materials.
A contempt petition was later filed, alleging violation of court directions. GCZMA then conducted a fresh inspection in September 2025, confirming that boulders and earth still blocked parts of the creek.
After noting the government’s latest assurance and confirming that the petitioner’s concerns were resolved, the Court disposed of the PIL and related applications.
