NT Reporter
Panaji
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed that a traditional bund in Murda village be restored to its original dimensions. The order comes in a Public Interest Litigation concerning the protection of local mangroves and water bodies.
The direction followed a report submitted by a Task Force comprising the member secretary of the Goa State Biodiversity Board and the Chief Conservator of Forests. The report found that the bund, which runs from NH-66 towards the mangroves under Survey No 93/1, is substantially wider than its original width recorded in official survey records.
The court directed that the site be formally demarcated by a surveyor from the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR), strictly with reference to the exact width of the bund shown in the old plan maintained by the DSLR.
Once the original width is identified, the Task Force has been directed to mark the excess portions, which must be removed by the comunidade of Murda.
The Task Force has also been directed to identify locations for new culverts across the bund to facilitate the free flow of water through the bund and across the mangroves up to the spring, with the aim of restoring the hydrology of the area.
The communidade has been ordered to secure the area by erecting proper fencing and a gate where the bund meets NH-66. All directed works, including removal of excess material and submission of a compliance report, must be completed within three weeks.
