Goa: HC orders geo-mapping within a year to track illegal constructions

Panaji: The Goa regime testament feature to nail ‘geo-mapping’ within a twelvemonth to help track illegal constructions, the High Court of Bombay at Goa ordered on Saturday, while criticising the state government for failing to take action against the illegal construction mushrooming in the state.The court was hearing a suo-motu writ petition after it received multiple petitions alleging government inaction on illegal constructions.“Open spaces are encroached upon. Paddy fields are being converted without any permission and in breach of the statutory provisions… Illegal constructions are also put in no development zones. The competent authorities either do not take action against such illegal activities or avoid taking such actions. This has resulted in wholesale change of the landscape in the State of Goa by such wide and rampant illegal constructions without any authority of law,” a bench of justices, M S Karnik and Nivedita Mehta, said. Also Read: NGT seeks inventory of Goa’s coastal structures to identify illegal constructionThe court said that often people claim that the illegal construction has been in existence for a long time. “The solution to this is to carry out geo-mapping. Once the entire state is geo-mapped, it will be easier to control illegal constructions,” the court added.The state government was also asked to prepare a report on illegal constructions, categorised by types such as illegal constructions on roadsides in municipal and panchayat areas, paddy fields, government property, comunidade land, and tenanted lands, and to create a roadmap for demolishing them.“Goa has blessed us with a delightful natural environment, which needs to be cared for and protected. The fragile ecosystem of Goa must be safeguarded. We have found statutes that need to be strictly enforced in their entirety to curb the menace of illegal construction,” the court said. Also Read: Goa to ban use of farm land for commercial activitiesThe court also directed the talathi (village revenue official) in each village to inspect illegal constructions on paddy fields within their jurisdiction and submit a report to the block development officer (BDO), who will then initiate a demolition drive by following due process. Similar instructions have been issued to municipal and panchayat authorities to conduct surveys, submit reports, and take action against illegal constructions along roadsides, in commercial establishments, on government-owned lands, comunidade (common) lands, and on tenanted agricultural lands.