MAPUSA
It’s back to good old tricks in the most happening place along the North Goa beach belt.
A controversial club at Ozrant, Anjuna, which was last year asked to pull down its structure for violating coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms, is back in business in complete contempt to laws of the land.
While the authorities have issued permission to the club to construct wooden structure (shacks and huts) in its property, the owner/director has started constructing a structure with steel reinforcement and also using brick and mortar right on the beach and in the CRZ area.
The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) in its 315th meeting held under the chairmanship of the Secretary (Environment) on July 7, 2022 had issued permission to the club owner/director Samar Merchant for temporary wooden structures in survey number 217 and sub-division 17 and 18.
The Anjuna-Caisua panchayat secretary also issued permission to the club for a temporary wooden restaurant in survey number 213 and sub-division 17 and 18.
Interestingly, while applying for permission the owner/director has quoted one survey number (213) in the panchayat, it quoted another survey number (217) while applying for NOC in GCZMA.
Anjuna panchayat member, Surendra Govekar informed The Goan that the structure is actually coming up in survey number 213/17&18 while the owner/director has produced a false survey number before the GCZMA to hoodwink the authorities.
“The proprietor was apprehensive that the coastal authority which had ordered demolition of the structure in survey number 213/17&18 last year would deny it permission again and therefore sought permission in another survey number,” Govekar said.
Last year, the GCZMA had ordered demolition of the structure in the same property for blatant violation of CRZ notification 2011. The proprietor then approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa against the order, but failed to get any relief.
Interestingly, while the matter was being heard in the High Court, several parties were held in the premises of the club on the eve of New Year. It was finally demolished in October 2021.
According to Govekar, even after obtaining permission to construct wooden structures, the club has recently started building permanent structure of multiple floors with steel, cement, motor and laterite stones by cutting a hill in a no-development slope and natural cover.
In a complaint to the Environment Minister and several other authorities, he said that the survey number 213/17&18 is a hilly terrain with heavy gradient of slope which falls within 200 meters of the HTL in CRZ III and has been marked as “no development slope” and “natural cover” in the Regional Plan of 2021.
He also alleged that the slope has been cut in blatant violation of the TCP regulations without obtaining any permission under Section 17A and 17B of the TCP Act, besides carrying out landfilling in some areas.
He further alleged that a compound wall of more than three metres has also been constructed with laterite stones, cement and iron prom rods.
“Illegal construction is being carried out on war footing in No Development Zone (NDZ) within 200 meters of High Tide Line (HTL) in coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) III which is in gross violation of the CRZ Notification 2011 as well as the Town& Country Planning Act and the Building Regulations,” Govekar said, and urged the authorities to issue a stop-work order to the construction and conduct a detailed inspection of the site.
