UNABLE TO DEMOLISH RUSSIAN RESORT : ALEXO SEQUEIRA SAYS SORRY

Environment minister Aleixo Sequeira apologized to the state legislative assembly for failing to fulfill his promise made to the house of demolishing a resort in Morjim built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. “I apologize to the house that despite the assurance given by me to the house, we have been unable to demolish the illegal structure because the local deputy collector was unable to execute the instructions,” Sequeira said. The resort, True Axis, in the coastal belt of Pernem taluka is managed by Russians and is currently under investigation by the enforcement directorate, the opposition alleged during question hour. It is among the 286 properties purchased by foreigners being probed for violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by the enforcement directorate. Sequeira accepted the opposition’s charges that the resort violated CRZ norms, and his apology blamed the officers in charge of the demolition of having failed to carry out the orders. Following Sequeira’s apology, opposition leader Manohar Parrikar said, “How can a deputy collector violate an assurance given by a minister in the house? This is a total collapse of the administration.” He said the refusal by an officer to execute the orders of a minister meant there was a breakdown of governance in the state. Parrikar said the deputy collector had refused to execute the order with the excuse that the director of the company owning the resort in whose name the order was issued was no more the director of that company. “This is completely unacceptable,” he said. “What does it matter to the deputy collector if the director of the company has changed? He should have made the orders in the new director’s name. The point is that the structure is illegal and has to be demolished,” Parrikar said. He sought disciplinary action against the deputy collector concerned.