CRZ ISSUE :COURT WANTS DETAILS OF PENDING APPEALS

The high court of Bombay at Goa directed the directorate of panchayats (DoP) to file an affidavit giving details about appeals pending before it with regards to structures in the no development zone (NDZ), in violation of the 1991CRZ notification.

The bench also made it clear that the affidavit should give details of the number of appeals, of any stay granted with regard to the structures, as also the survey number, nature of the structure and area of the structure. The division bench comprising Justices S B Deshmukh and U D Salvi passed the directives during the hearing of a suo motu writ petition regarding the CRZ violations along the state’s coastal belt. The petition challenges the constructions carried out after the CRZ regulations came into effect on February 19, 1991. Amicus curiae Norma Alvares told the court that affidavits had been filed by most coastal panchayats as per earlier court directives, but it appeared that a few panchayats had not done so as she had not received copies. The court directed the coastal panchayats that had not filed their affidavits to do so before the next date of hearing, which is November 10, while serving a copy on the amicus curiae. Sudesh Usgaonkar appearing for Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) informed the court that the CMC had identified and demolished 48 structures within their jurisdiction.
Alvares also pointed out that most of the panchayats have issued demolition orders to illegal structures, but none have actually carried out any demolitions. Owners of most of the structures approach the DoP and get a stay on the demolition orders, she said.