The High Court of Bombay at Goa has asked the Department of Tourism to initiate stringent action against illegal constructions and businesses and further to keep a strict vigil to ensure that such illegal constructions do not sprout on beaches across the State.
The Court also asked the government to ensure that water and electricity connections to such structures were disconnected and has ordered that criminal action be initiated against existing and ongoing illegal constructions on beaches.
The Environment Department has also been directed to recover environmental damage costs from the owners of these illegal constructions. The court directions came during the hearing of the matter related to illegal constructions at Calangute and Baga.
Though the officials of the Department of Tourism and other authorities had removed several such constructions, several more structures were discovered. The government told the High Court that these illegal structures would be removed within the next two months.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam said that beaches belong to the government and public and that the High Court has further directed that the Director of Tourism take vigil against any type of illegal activities on the beaches across the State, especially illegal constructions.
The high court has said that the Director of Tourism should take responsibility that there are no illegal activities. Any illegal encroachments, including signages that are erected on the beach, have to be removed and it has to be done swiftly.
The order has to be implemented by the Director of Tourism to keep the beaches clean and free of encroachments.
