PANAJI: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 77.9 lakh for the construction of a ground plus four-storey structure within 50m of the CRZ area in Arambol. The violation came to light after a local approached the high court in 2023, alleging inaction by various local authorities against the CRZ violation.
The high court subsequently ordered the Pernem PI and Arambol panchayat to seal the structure. In Nov 2023, the high court expressed dismay that its order for the demolition of the illegal structure was misinterpreted to stall the demolition by the panchayat.
The court also gave the directorate of panchayat the liberty to recover the cost of such stalling by the panchayat.
The expert members of GCZMA conducted a site inspection in July 2024 and found that the structures were in a no-development zone of CRZ-III and fell in the mangrove buffer zone classified as CRZ-1A. The structures were not entirely demolished by the violator.
However, the GCZMA expert members noted that the violator should be held liable for the environmental damages and degradation.
“The respondent is obligated to pay compensatory damages for the harm caused to the environment. This includes ecological restoration and reinstating the land to its pristine condition, in compliance with statutory requirements under the CRZ notification 2011 and the Environmental Protection Act. These measures encompass the removal of residue as well as the RCC footings below ground level. The Authority, through its team, conducted various site inspections and noted that the site was still not cleared,” the GCZMA said in its recent meeting.
The GCZMA said that it took the date for the purpose of calculation as May 4, 2017, till Aug 2024, which was more than seven years. It said that the compensation amount was fixed after multiplying the number of years with the area of violation in square metres multiplied by Rs 2,590 per sqm, which was the amount arrived at earlier by the GCZMA in its study on environmental compensation for coastal damage.
Accordingly, the GCZMA arrived at the amount of Rs 77.9 lakh.
“This formula was made applicable to this matter after taking into consideration that the respondent carried out the violations in the NDZ area, thereby destroying the ecology and biodiversity of the area,” the GCZMA said.
