Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Jul 27: Amid the continuing controversy over the proposed House of Abhinandan Lodha (HOABL) township project at Karapur-Sarvan, the Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has decided to obtain approved building plans directly from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department or the respective Planning and Development Authority (PDA) while processing applications for Environmental Clearance (EC) for construction projects.
The decision comes against the backdrop of ongoing protests against the HOABL township, with villagers alleging that work on the over 50-hectare project began without obtaining the mandatory prior Environmental Clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.
Residents have been protesting against the project for more than 100 days. Last month, they marched to the SEAC office, urging the committee to intervene and contending that the project falls within the ambit of the EIA Notification, making prior EC compulsory before the commencement of any construction activity.
The matter was expected to be taken up by the SEAC.
During its meeting held on July 14, while considering proposals from the construction sector, the committee noted the increasing number of court cases involving development permissions granted to projects requiring prior Environmental Clearance.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the committee resolved to independently obtain approved building plans from the TCP Department or the concerned PDA while examining EC applications.
"In view of the numerous matters going on before the courts relating to the development permissions issued for projects requiring prior EC, the Committee decided to seek the approved plans from the Town & Country Planning Department or from the Planning & Development Authority for processing applications for EC," the minutes stated.
The committee observed that obtaining authenticated plans directly from the planning authorities would help eliminate discrepancies in project documents and strengthen the appraisal process.
The decision assumes significance amid several legal disputes in Goa over the sequence of statutory approvals required for construction projects.
The HOABL township proposal has remained at the centre of the latest controversy, with villagers insisting that the project cannot proceed without prior environmental clearance and demanding that all construction activities be halted until the mandatory statutory approvals are obtained.