MARGAO
The South Goa district administration on Monday could not take a decision on the removal of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj installed on the property of the Mormugao Port Authority.
Reason: While the Special Leave Petition filed in the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order was dismissed as withdrawn, the Apex Court, however, had given the petitioners the liberty to move an appropriate application before the High Court to seek a variance of its order.
Given the intervening circumstances, the district administration, at a meeting held on Monday, has decided to wait for the petitioners to file their application before the High Court and for the outcome of the application.
As per the High Court order, South Goa Collector Egna Cleetus and South Goa Superintendent of Police Tikam Singh met on Monday to chalk out the action plan for the removal of the Shivaji statue from MPA land in view of the High Court order.
However, after the petitioners submitted the Supreme Court order dated July 2, wherein the Apex Court had given the petitioners the liberty to move an application before the High Court and seek a variance of the impugned order, the administration decided to wait for the outcome of the application. The matter is expected to come up for hearing before the High Court early next week.
“Learned Counsel appearing for the petitioners seeks to withdraw the present Special Leave Petition. The permission is granted. The Special Leave Petition is, accordingly, dismissed as withdrawn with liberty to file an appropriate application before the High Court and seek a variance of the impugned order,” the Supreme Court ordered.
Meanwhile, sources said the meeting of the district administration held on Monday also reviewed the situation post-removal of the Shivaji statue from the MPA property. Officials pointed out that the administration has no land or space to store the statue as and when it is finally removed from the site after the High Court decision.
