the goan I network
PANAJI
The National Green Tribunal has dismissed a petition filed by Kashinath Shetye who had sought the demolition of modifications made to an old house at Campal after it was taken over to set up the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant.
Shetye in his petition alleged that in converting a residential house to a commercial restaurant, the management of Fishermen’s Wharf had violated the CRZ notification as well as the heritage norms of the area and bizarrely claimed that the Fishermen’s wharf “tried to show that it is for fishermen.”
Shetye prayed before the NGT for an order directing that no commercial activity be permitted in the residential heritage zone of Campal on the bank of St Inez Creek and revert the original house to its glory by restoring the residential use; for the demolition of ‘illegal’ construction done to the original house and fisherman wharf in to restore and restitution of the old heritage house to its original condition by demolishing the ‘illegal’ construction done and directing the Town and Country Planning Department, NGPDA, FSSAI and CCP to revoke the licences given to the construction.
However, the management argued that there was neither reconstruction nor was any structure raised as alleged but that they had rather restored and renovated an old dilapidated house built in the early 1900’s and converted it to a restaurant.
“No structural alteration whatsoever had been made to the original plan of the house and the restaurant does not fall in any category of CRZ area in the city of Panaji,” the management argued.
The NGT referred to the inspection report of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority which found that the restaurant in question fell within CRZ-II in the Coastal Zone Management Plan approved in the year 1996, and that the St Inez creek is not identified as a creek in the CZMP.
CRZ II allows for construction subject to certain conditions and hence, the NGT held that they “have no hesitation in holding that the applicant has not been able to make out a case for grant of the reliefs sought for.”
“The application stands dismissed,” the NGT ruled.
