Following a complaint filed by the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum, the NGT imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the Goa Coastal Zone management Authority (GCZMA). With all due respect, I don’t think the GCZMA officials will be too concerned about it, as (A) the money/fine will be paid by the taxpayer, and (B) surely the GCZMA officials operate under the full support of Goan Ministers; we can see specific GCZMA officials even being promoted or given bigger responsibilities by the Goa government despite so many cases of incompetence - so what does this tell us?
I think that the only way to get the GCZMA to remedy its ways is to prosecute the erring GCZMA officials with the punishment of jail time or heavily fining them on their personal wealth. Else, in my view, nothing will change.
