Coastal body warns CoP of penalty if illegal filling in Salcete CRZ not removed

Panaji: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has warned the Captain of Ports (CoP) of a penalty if the illegal filling of a khazan land, which partly falls in Ambelim and partly in Assolna in Salcete, is not removed. The GCZMA said that its earlier directions had not been complied with by the CoP.
The authority had received a complaint from a local that the illegal filling of low-lying area had been carried out, which land included khazan land, CRZ area, fields and water bodies. An engineer and a field surveyor of the GCZMA then carried out an inspection and found “gross illegal construction resulting in violation of CRZ Notification 2011”.
Huge amount of sandy soil was found dumped, as per the report, in a no development zone of CRZ, “thereby destroying the natural ecosystem, vegetation, rice cultivation and topography of the area”.
The inspection also found that trenches have been excavated in the property which were connected to the opening of the water body in the area.
Thereafter, show cause notice was issued to the CoP, which during the hearings before GCZMA agreed to remove the land filling.
At its 429th meeting, the GCZMA directed, “The authority noted that since the CoP has appointed a contractor to carry out the works, direction is given to clear the site by removing the sandy soil dumped in the property and also to undo the trenches that has been excavated in the property as it is connected to the opening of the water body. The CoP to remove the violation through their contractor concerned and send a compliance report within one month.”
However, at a meeting earlier this month, the GCZMA said that the CoP had not complied with the earlier directions.
“From compliance report it is noted that directions are not followed hence opportunity granted till next hearing to comply failing which penalty proceedings will be initiated against CoP,” the GCZMA has said.
The CoP had committed to remove the mud filling before May 30, 2024, at a hearing last year and file a compliance. However, for several GCZMA meetings thereafter the CoP representative remained absent.
Finally, at a hearing earlier this year, the CoP submitted that the violation was not carried out by the department but a contractor appointed by it and agreed to remove the mud filling. The CoP subsequently told the GCZMA that the directions had been complied with but the authority found that the compliance was not carried out by the CoP.