NGT orders restoration of sand dunes at Sernabatim

the goan I networkrPanajirThe National Green Tribunal has deemed a case of filling and destruction of sand dunes in Colva village as being “completely illegal and unauthorized and most importantly offending to the environment.” rDisposing off a petition filed by the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum led by activist Judith Almeida, the NGT imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the violators (in this case, farmers). Out of this sum, Rs 50,000 is to be paid to Almeida as costs, the NGT ruled. rThe tribunal also called for constitution of a committee to oversee the restoration of the sand dunes by adopting scientific measures. It stated that the said committee has to be headed by Member Secretary, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority and comprise Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board and the Chief Town Planner, Town and Country Planning Department. rThe committee will have to ascertain the extent of destruction to the dunes within three months and the GCZMA on ascertaining the factual situation, take measures to restore the dunes by removing the dumped mud and soil, the NGT suggested. rAlmeida had alleged that truckloads of mud was dumped on the dunes in the cover of darkness. GCZMA on receipt of the complaint conducted a site inspection and found, among other things, that the land was being filled for the purpose of construction of a road connecting a local village road and to an open property lying between 0 and 500 mts of the HTL. rAlmeida submitted that the construction of the said illegal road was carried out with the intention of exploiting large stretches of paddy fields for commercial use at the cost of causing severe environmental degradation and destruction to the rich bio-diversity of the area. rHowever, a group of farmers who claimed to be owners of the land intervened in the petition and contended that a bundh having width of 4 to 12 mtrs and height of about 1.5 metres above the level of paddy fields and culvert existed to provide passageway for the owners of the paddy rfields and coconut grove to proceed to their respective properties in the village of Sernabatim. rThey contended mud and rubble stones were dumped on the bundh for its restoration. The bundh had been repaired and restored in the months of March and April 2015, they added. rThey denied construction of an illegal road stretching over a length of one kilometre by filling of mud. rHowever, since they could not prove the existence of the original bundh and its dimensions, and further since they had no permissions whatsoever to even repair the bandh, they were offered no relief by the tribunal.