Clear debris from mangroves by June 30: HC to Murda comunidade

Panaji: The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the Murda comunidade to clear all the debris dumped in the mangrove area by June 30. Only 25 truckloads of debris were removed from the site over the past few days, with the HC terming this pace of removal “extremely slow”. It said that a large amount of debris remain to be lifted and shifted to the designated dumping site.

March 31 was the initial deadline fixed by the HC for the clearance of all the debris. This was extended to May 30.

“The presence of the debris in a declared mangrove or khazan site will have adverse effects on the environment,” observed the bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Hiten Venegavkar.

The HC directed the comunidade to report to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) every three days on the progress of the work. It directed the GCZMA to depute its official once a week to confirm the rate at which the removal of debris has been taking place and file a report by July 1.

The task force estimated the cost of restoration of the land at Rs 1.7 crore. This would be just the cost of restoring the land to its original condition, while the cost of environmental damages are yet to be calculated, the HC observed.

The HC said it is trying to undo the damage. “It has to be done fast because with the monsoon, the whole area will get inundated. We were hopeful... normally mangroves are replanted during the monsoon, and the salinity changes. We have not yet reached the point where we will have to restore that area. Now, we will have to bring in the biodiversity board and many other people to understand what needs to be replanted there. This can’t be done until you remove the debris,” the bench told the comunidade during the hearing.

The comunidade told the HC that the landfill site was designated only on May 27.

The HC also directed that a trench that has been dug up on site be filled up.

The HC is hearing a PIL concerning large-scale degradation and destruction of mangrove forests, khazan lands, salt pans, and paddy fields at Merces, contiguous to NH 66 between Panaji and Bambolim. It had earlier observed that the area required urgent intervention, and had constituted a task force to inspect the site.