PANAJI: The chief secretary of Goa will be held liable for contempt if any officers ignore and fail to act on complaints of illegal sand extraction, the high court has said.
The division bench, comprising justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita Mehta, which is hearing a second contempt petition on illegal sand extraction, has told the authorities to tighten their vigil. The authorities include police, the mining department, the revenue department, and specifically the heads of the flying squad that carries out raids.
The HC has permitted the Goa River Sand Protectors Network to immediately report any illegal sand mining to the Additional Collector-II, who shall act as the nodal officer.
“…we expect the officer to act with a sense of responsibility and also keep in mind that any inaction on the part of any of the officers, despite the fact that the act of alleged illegal sand extraction is brought to its notice, is ignoring it, then the chief secretary of Goa will be held liable for contempt,” the HC said.
The court had directed the North Goa collector to issue a show-cause notice to the Bicholim mamlatdar seeking his explanation on the delayed action on a report of illegal sand extraction. The court expressed surprise that after repeated complaints in June and July, the mamlatdar conducted a site inspection only on Aug 13, 2024, and reported that no activity was going on.
