High court calls for joint inspection of razed Arambol site

Panaji: The high court of Bombay at Goa has directed a joint inspection by the secretary of the Arambol panchayat, an expert member of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, and a member of the Goa Biodiversity Board of the site where illegal structures were demolished at Arambol after photographs were presented of the debris left on the site.
They are directed to visit the sites at Girkarwaddo and prepare a detailed report in two weeks.
The high court also directed the inspection team to determine the cost of the demolition of the structures as well as the costs for the restoration of the beach to its original condition so that the amount can be recovered from the former sarpanch.
The directions were issued after advocate Deepak Gaonkar, representing the Arambol panchayat, told the high court that the family members of the former sarpanch of Arambol failed to comply with court orders to demolish their structures. As a result, the panchayat had to remove 15 structures on Sep 17 and 18.
The division bench, while pursuing the affidavits with photographs of the structures that were demolished, saw a lot of debris scattered in the area.
The high court ordered the next hearing after two weeks to consider the report and determine whether the family failed to obey high court orders regarding the demolition of the 10 structures. The high court is hearing a suo motu petition concerning illegal constructions in Girkarwaddo, Arambol.