Hill cutting in Siolim Goa

PANJIM: Observing that prima facie it appears that hill cutting has been going on in a property in Siolim, which may lead to landslide and cause further hindrance to human life, the High Court appointed North Goa Collect to personally visit the site and verify.



The Division bench of Justice D B Bhosale and Justice NA Britto while hearing a Public Interest Litigation complaining about illegal excavation / cutting of hill from the property surveyed under survey no. 189/2 situated at Bamanwada, Siolim , by Goraknath Atmaram Fulari and Shaku Braganza, both partners in BF Builders, which resulted in land slide, observed that the photographs reveal that hill cutting has been going on in the said property.



The letter was written to the High Court on August 21, 2007, by one Satish Banaulikar, resident of Oxel, Siolim, about the alleged illegalities, which was converted into a PIL, with the Court observing that the petitioner has raised an issue of environmental degradation. The petitioner had alleged that the construction had started after illegal excavation/ cutting of portion of hill/ soil, which is geographically, bounded below the property in survey no 190/0 and the illegal work of excavation/ cutting of hill is without any permission from the authorities.



It was also alleged that the duo were selling constructed bungalows in survey no 189/2 by cutting hills to foreigners and also brought to the notice of the authorities that if illegal excavation continues, it will result in soil erosion/ land sliding and effect or damage his property in survey no 190/0 and further severely affect cashew plantation activated by him which is his sole source of livelihood.



Court has asked North Goa Collector to find out whether the there has been any hill cutting and if the retaining wall constructed by the builder is enough to avoid further landslide. The Court has ordered that status quo should be maintained and also appointed Norma Alvares as Amicus curiae.



The Director of Panchayats in his report on the status of the construction activities in the property submitted to the Court stated that presently no excavation or hill cutting is noticed, however it is observed that in the said property towards the Northern side, along the width of the property, a landslide has occurred which is about 78 m in length and a retaining wall has been constructed towards the end of this landslide apparently to arrest further damage.