Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: After the Board’s submission confirmed that 24 units, including resorts in Agonda, had been operating without the necessary permissions, the High Court of Bombay at Goa ordered the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) to seal 20 establishments in Agonda that are operating without mandatory consent.
Of these, 20 units were also ordered to suspend operations. The Division Bench, which was made up of Justices M S Karnik and Nivedita Mehta, gave the officials instructions to seal the premises and instructed the Deputy Collector to make sure the process was followed the law.
Regarding its prior guarantee of the final notice of the draft turtle management plan, the Bench has also requested the government’s response. The Court will hear the case on March 12 and the State has until then to respond.
According to GSPCB Member Secretary Shamila Monteiro’s testimony to the High Court of Bombay in Goa on Thursday, officials examined the units using information from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
Several units were discovered to be operating under certain serial number references during the examination, and 24 units were discovered to be operating without the GSPCB’s approval.
Four of the 24 units have submitted an application for approval, which is currently being processed; the other 20 have been given orders to halt operations. In response to an ongoing Public Interest Litigation against illegal structures on Agonda beach, Monteiro stated to the Court, “Eight units have also received letters to register under the White Category, and one such application has already been received for registration.”
The GCZMA promised the court during the most recent hearing on March 3 that it would expedite proceedings concerning show-cause warnings sent to 67 unlawful buildings found near the beach.
Additionally, depending on the responses and supporting documentation provided by the parties involved, the authority promised to decide whether to take additional action against commercial activity.
After that, the High Court ordered the GSPCB to take appropriate action against organizations that were functioning without the necessary approval. Additionally, the State government promised the High Court that it would notify them shortly of the draft plan to protect all turtle nesting locations on the State’s beaches.
