Panaji: The High Court on Monday reprimanded local governing bodies for delays in complying with its directives on the management
and enumeration of stray dogs, warning officials of disciplinary action and contempt proceedings for non-compliance.
Hearing a suo motu PIL, the court warned chief officers of municipalities and secretaries of panchayats that strict disciplinary action and contempt proceedings would follow if court orders were not complied with immediately.
The Division Bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S Jamsandekar said, “These directions were issued long back. We find that these officers are being very casual about this matter. They are just not complying with the court’s orders.” The Bench also questioned why adverse entries should not be recommended in the officials’ service records.
The court observed that despite explicit directions issued on October 6, several local bodies had failed to submit their affidavits and records of public notices within the stipulated time.
The court was informed that only a few municipal councils had initially filed their compliance affidavits. It clarified that administrative disciplinary action would be initiated without prejudice to its powers to institute independent proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act.
The court was also informed that the TCP Department had granted technical clearance on October 15 for an animal shelter proposed by the CCP at Curca. Following the clearance, an application for a construction licence was submitted to the Panchayat of Curca-Bambolim-Talaulim on October 16.
Noting that the panchayat secretary was absent from the hearing, the Bench directed the panchayat to
place the construction licence proposal on the agenda for immediate consideration, either at its scheduled meeting or at a special meeting to be convened within the week.
