PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed the Village Panchayat of Arambol, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and Goa Biodiversity Board to submit a detailed report on the debris from demolished structures at Arambol beach.
During the hearing of a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Monday, the Division Bench of Justice M S Karnik and Justice Valmiki Menezes also directed that the report should include a restoration plan and the costs incurred during the demolition process.
The authorities had identified 15 illegal structures for demolition for violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules after a petition challenging the illegal construction of a former Arambol Sarpanch.
During the ongoing hearing, other illegal structures in the vicinity were also discussed. Subsequently, the Bench ordered demolition of the illegal structures, which was carried out.
On Monday, the Bench sought for a report on the post-demolition drive. “On pursuing the additional affidavit filed… along with the photographs, we see that a lot of debris is found scattered in and around the entire area. We, therefore, direct the Secretary, Village Panchayat of Arambol, an expert Member of the GCZMA and a Member of the Goa Diversity Board to visit the site jointly and prepare a detailed report as to how the debris could be removed as also to determine the costs for restoration of the said beach to its original condition, including the costs for demolition of the said structures so that such costs could be recovered from (the concerned) Respondents,” it stated.
At recent hearing, the GCZMA reported that 216 illegal structures had been identified, and show-cause notices were issued. The court asked the GCZMA to clarify how many of these structures had been demolished.
The Bench has scheduled the next hearing for October 8 as it will also review the report and consider if the respondents failed to comply with the court’s order regarding the demolition of 10 structures.
