Daijiworld Media Network – Goa
Goa, Jan 21: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Tuesday directed an immediate stop to the construction of a concrete sea wall by a starred hotel at Bambolim beach, citing serious violations of coastal and construction regulations.
The order came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activists Glean Cabral and Swapnesh Sherlekar, along with the NGO Goa Foundation. The petitioners alleged that the hotel had begun erecting the wall without a valid construction licence and in blatant breach of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
The court noted the submissions and instructed the hotel management to halt all construction activities immediately and comply strictly with applicable environmental and construction laws.
Concerns Over Legal Violations
Petitioners pointed out that the Curca-Bambolim-Talaulim village panchayat had not issued a formal construction licence for the project. Instead, the sarpanch had provided only a no-objection certificate (NOC), which the activists argued lacked legal authority and could not substitute for a statutory construction permit.
The PIL also raised wider concerns, calling for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged fabrication and forgery of the minutes of the 271st meeting of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) held in 2021. According to the petitioners, the Bambolim project was never discussed in that meeting, yet appeared in separate minutes granting approvals to four casino-linked projects. These “separate minutes” were reportedly never uploaded on the GCZMA website.
Court’s Directions and Environmental Concerns
In its order, the High Court not only restrained the hotel from continuing work at Bambolim beach but also issued broader directions to all village panchayats across Goa to follow the prescribed procedures and formats while issuing construction licences.
The court noted that following a complaint lodged in May last year, the GCZMA had already issued a stop-work order and directed the hotel to submit detailed plans for the proposed retaining wall. The petitioners strongly objected to the use of cement, heavy machinery, and the clearing of debris from the beach, warning that such activities could cause irreversible damage to the fragile coastal ecosystem.
The ruling underscores the High Court’s commitment to enforcing environmental and coastal protection norms, and sending a clear message that unauthorized construction along sensitive coastal areas will not be tolerated.