MMC TOLD TO ACT AGAINST ILLEGAL STRUCTURES IN VADDEM

The high court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday directed the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) to identify illegal structures built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991, at Vaddem bay in Vasco within one month and thereafter initiate action against such structures within a month.
A division bench comprising Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice N A Britto passed the order during the hearing of a petition filed by the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
The petitioner has pointed out that around 194 illegal hutments have come at Vaddem bay in violation of the CRZ Notification, 1991, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The petitioner has also alleged that MMC and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had failed to act against the CRZ violators inspite of the high court's directives.
During the hearing of the case, the petitioner's advocate, senior counsel Vijay Nadkarni, argued that the structures are in total violation of the CRZ Notification dated February 19, 1991
MMC's counsel S D Padiyar told the court that the council had already issued show cause notices to some of the violators. He also said that MMC would now require at least a month's time for identifying the alleged illegal structures. Thereafter, the bench granted MMC one month's time to identify the structures and another one month's time for initiating action against the violators under the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968.