Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has instructed the South Goa Collector and Superintendent of Police to meet with officials of the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) on July 6 to work out a clear plan for the removal of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue erected on port land at Sada.
The directive follows submissions by the MPA that previous efforts to remove the structure could not be implemented due to insufficient police support at the site.
The court has sought an update on the outcome of the meeting and the action taken thereafter when the matter comes up for hearing on July 14.
The dispute relates to a statue installed on land owned by the MPA. Earlier this year, the High Court ruled that the structure had been put up without the necessary approvals and directed that it be removed.
While passing that order, the Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar had expressed dissatisfaction with the response of government authorities, noting that timely intervention could have prevented the issue from escalating.
The Bench had observed that the unauthorised construction was allowed to continue despite being on public land and directed that the site be cleared and restored.
With its latest order, the court has emphasised coordination between the district administration, law enforcement agencies and the port authority to ensure that its directions are implemented without further delay.
