NT Reporter
Panaji
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Deputy Town Planner and the in-charge of the Flying Squad at Reis Magos to file their statements by way of affidavits after both officials said that there was neither any hill on the plot in question nor any evidence of hill-cutting at the site.
The two officials appeared in person before the High Court in connection with a petition alleging rampant hill-cutting in a survey number at Reis Magos in Bardez taluka. The Deputy Town Planner informed the court that, as per the records available with the Town and Country Planning Department, there was no hill in the concerned survey number and that no permission had been granted to the project proponent for any hill-cutting activity.
The in-charge of the Flying Squad also submitted before the court that officials from his squad had carried out a site inspection and found that there was neither a hill on the plot nor any evidence of hill-cutting.
The petitioner, however, objected to the oral submissions made by both officials and sought directions
from the court to require the respondents to place the contour plan of the site on record.
While declining to issue any immediate directions, the High Court observed that at a later stage of the proceedings, it could consider consulting experts, including those from other states, to determine whether there was a hill at the site or not.
