Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Taking a firm stand against environmental violations in mangrove zones at Murda, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has ordered the Comunidade of Murda to clear all illegal landfilling in Survey Nos. 93/1 to 93/10 by March 31, warning that no further delays will be accepted.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekkar, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation, observed that the Comunidade had failed to comply with the Court’s earlier directive issued on March 13, 2025, which had instructed the removal of illegal landfill material and a road constructed over a traditional bund.
In its latest order, the Court directed the Comunidade and its attorney to strictly implement the recommendations made in the Task Force report and ensure that the landfill is removed within a period of three months, and in any case, no later than March 31, 2026. The removal process will be supervised by representatives from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the Administrator of Comunidades, Central Zone. A joint compliance report has been ordered to be submitted to the Court by April 5, 2026.
The Bench referred to the Task Force report dated October 4, 2024, which had confirmed large-scale illegal landfilling in mangrove areas within the said survey numbers and had recommended its immediate clearance.
The judges clarified that their concern was not administrative or procedural delays, but the serious ecological harm caused by the widening of the bund and dumping of material in a sensitive mangrove ecosystem. The Court stressed that its earlier order must be implemented without any further justification or postponement.
An affidavit filed by Comunidade attorney Xavier Martins acknowledged that the illegal landfill had been identified and that a contractor was appointed in March 2025. However, the Comunidade claimed that the delay occurred because the Task Force had suggested testing whether the excavated soil could be reused for repairing other bunds. The Court rejected this reasoning, stating that the priority was the immediate removal of the landfill, irrespective of any secondary considerations.
The Bench has directed the Comunidade’s attorney to submit a detailed affidavit on March 24, 2026, outlining the progress made in clearing the landfill.
The Court also took note of inaction on several illegal structures highlighted in a separate Task Force report dated January 10, 2025. These include a GI-sheet shed, a 347-square-metre paver plinth, a pond with concrete steps and anti-skid tiles, retaining walls, fencing, and additional landfilling.
While the GCZMA had ordered the demolition of these unauthorized structures on December 10, 2024, the Court observed that the directive remained unimplemented even after more than a year.
The Bench has now instructed the Member Secretary of the GCZMA to coordinate with the Deputy Collector of Tiswadi and ensure that all illegal constructions are demolished and removed within one month, by February 28, 2026.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on March 24, 2026, when the Court will review compliance by all concerned authorities.
