PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Old Goa Police to strictly enforce the stop-work order issued by the Deputy Collector and prevent any further landfilling or development at four sites in Morombi O Pequeno, under Merces Village Panchayat, amid allegations of continued violations of earlier court orders.
The court also directed the State Task Force to inspect all four properties, assess the extent of illegal landfilling and estimate the cost of restoring the land to its original natural condition. The Task Force must also quantify the environmental damage caused by the reclamation.
The court's directions come against the backdrop of allegations that landfilling, encroachments and commercial activities continued despite an earlier order restraining activities on the properties.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar directed the Police Inspector of Old Goa Police Station to ensure immediate compliance with the stop-work order, while indicating that the properties could be attached to recover compensation for the environmental damage caused. The matter will be heard next on December 2.
