Panaji, Oct 18 (TOI): The high court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) after Goa Coastal Zone Management (GCZMA) committee recently withdrew permissions given to 15 cottages of a hotel at Vagator beach, which were within the 200m no-development zone (NDZ).
Advocate general Dattaprasad Lawande submitted before the court an order passed on September 17 by the coastal body directing Krishna Parab to demolish the huts and shacks and restore the land to its original condition, within 30 days from the order. Following this statement, the division bench comprising Justice N M Jamdar and Justice Nutan D Sardessai disposed of the PIL.
The advocate general said the deputy collector has been directed to verify if the structures, located at the beach, have been demolished. In the eventuality that the structures continue to stand, the deputy collector has been asked to raze them and recover the expenditure from the party.
Goa Foundation and Vagator resident Sagardeep Sirsaikar had filed the PIL challenging GCZMA approvals granted for construction of 16 wooden chalets for residential use within the 200m NDZ.
Initially, the coastal body had refused to grant permission to W Hotels, owned by Diana Buildwell, to construct the 15 wooden chalets, as only a single shack is permitted per hotel establishment as per the policy.