Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed authorities to begin demolishing 23 illegal structures in Pernem taluka on July 17 and continue the exercise without interruption until all the structures are removed.
“We direct the demolition squad to ensure that the GCZMA orders on the 23 structures, which are the subject matter of this petition, shall be completed on the date set down and, if not completed on that date, the work of demolition shall continue on the subsequent day until the demolitions are fully completed,” the division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Hiten Venegavkar stated.
The court recorded the statement of the additional government advocate appearing for Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) that the demolition squad had scheduled the operation for July 17.
The court also directed the police inspector of Mandrem Police Station to provide all necessary assistance to the demolition squad to maintain law and order during the operation.
The Deputy Collector of Pernem has been directed to submit a compliance report by July 22. If the demolition is not completed by the next hearing, an interim progress report must be filed instead.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 22. The directions relate to structures in the coastal belt of Pernem that were earlier ordered to be demolished by the National Green Tribunal after it held that they violated Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
