HIGH COURT : FILE DETAILS OF ACTION AGAINST CRZ VIOLATIONS

The high court of Bombay at Goa directed 26 coastal panchayats in the state to file an affidavit within three weeks furnishing details of action taken by them against the structures built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification. A division bench comprising Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice N A Britto passed the order after hearing a suo motu writ petition regarding the CRZ violations along the states coastal belt after CRZ regulations came into force on February 19, 1991. The bench made it clear that the panchayats should give details of the number of appeals filed and whether any stay is granted pertaining to such constructions. . During the hearing, amicus curaie Norma Alvares pointed out that most of the panchayats have issued demolition orders to these illegal structures. Many panchayat orders are stayed by the directorate of panchayats when these are challenged by those who have carried out such constructions, she said, while pointing out that the panchayats have not carried out demolitions in the no development zone (NDZ). Subsequently, Justice Britto observed that the suo motu petition is pending before the court for the last three years. "Three years down the line the illegal structures are yet to be demolished," he noted, while further observing that "it is a collosal waste of time". Meanwhile, during the hearing of the matter, Alvares also mentioned before the court that it appears that the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had carried out an inspection of beaches in Goa for the purpose of increasing the number of shacks along the Calangute and Candolim beach stretches. "The GCZMA may now recommend the allotment of 48 new shacks along this belt," she said. She also told the court that she had written to the director of tourism seeking details about the number of additional beach shacks, but the director had failed to reply to her query. Responding to her submission, the court asked Alvares to file an appropriate application/petition before the court regarding this issue.