Panaji: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has withdrawn the stop work order and dropped the April 15 show cause notice issued to a star hotel in Bambolim over the construction of a retaining wall. The authority said that it lacked jurisdiction to revisit or revoke its earlier decision and said that the construction had been carried out as per the permission granted on September 23, 2021.
The order concludes a series of hearings following complaints from MLA Viresh Borkar, Ramrao Wagh, Claude Alvares, and members of the Goa Green Brigade, who alleged that the 10-metre-long, 3.2-metre-high concrete retaining wall was in violation of the CRZ Notification 2011 and was constructed without proper approvals.
The complainants had argued that the wall exceeded permissible norms, had no construction licence from the panchayat, and lacked a disaster management report despite a previous collapse. They also cited an NGT order, which they said restricts hard structures in ecologically sensitive areas, allowing only rubble or gabion walls.
Legal representatives for the hotel said that the structure was built to prevent coastal erosion and protect property from wave action. They submitted that all necessary approvals had been obtained, including those from the GCZMA, Town and Country Planning Department, and the panchayat. The wall was said to be within the permitted 10-metre stretch and in compliance with regulations.
After examining submissions and documentation, GCZMA concluded that its approval issued in 2021 was valid for five years, and the construction was in accordance with the sanctioned plan. The Authority said it was functus officio and could not reopen its earlier decision.
