NT Reporter
Panaji
The National Green Tribunal’s Western Zone Bench at Pune has stayed the recovery of a Rs 21 lakh environmental damage compensation imposed by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on a Morjim beach shack operator, while hearing an appeal against the Board’s order.
The appeal was filed by Harshit Vikas Tibrewal against a February 6 GSPCB order, which imposed the penalty and directed closure of the establishment for two months.
As per GSPCB, the unit exceeded permissible noise limits 91 times during daytime and 91 times during night-time in October 2025. It said monitoring from February 1 to 5 recorded 35 daytime and 35 night-time violations. The board also said that the unit did not have a valid Consent to Operate under the Water and Air Acts.
The Bench did not stay the closure order or directions on acoustic measures.
The GSPCB order had directed installation of acoustic enclosures, obtaining permissions from the Electricity Department, Fire and Emergency Services, and the local village panchayat, and approaching the Board for de-sealing thereafter.
Counsel for the appellant said permission to erect a temporary shack was granted by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority in December 2020 and extended in December 2025. He said it was not tenable to classify the same plot as a silence zone turtle nesting site.
He said the minutes of GCZMA’s 345th meeting in June 2023 clarified that turtle nesting silence zones are those identified in CZMP 2011 approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He said the appellant’s property falls outside these areas and should not attract silence zone noise standards.
On the noise violations, he said the readings relied upon by GSPCB were unreliable.
The Tribunal directed respondents to file reply affidavits within two weeks and said a rejoinder may be filed within one week thereafter. The matter is posted on April 17.
