Panaji (Goa): Hearing into contempt petition into dumping of garbage along the Panaji-Old Goa bypass road came up for further hearing today, after over one month of its adjournment and has been postponed for another month after the government assured to submit a comprehensive report within two weeks on the steps initiated to tackle the menace.
The Goa bench of Bombay High Court is hearing a contempt petition filed by Advocate Aires Rodrigues over the inaction of the authorities on the continued dumping of debris and garbage along the Panaji-Old Goa bypass road.
When the matter came up for hearing this morning, the Advocate General Dattaprasad Lawande submitted that as directed by the Court a comprehensive report would be filed within two weeks on the steps being taken by the Government on the various measures being taken on the issue.
Pointing out that the garbage issue was a serious one the Court sought that action must be taken against defaulting Panchayats and Municipalities who were failing in their duty to collect, segregate and dispose garbage, the petitioner informed the Court that despite its orders garbage and debris continues to be dumped along the bypass and that in further violation of the Court orders the debris was being also pushed into the low lying fields and mangroves.
Rodrigues in his contempt petition has pointed out that in 2007 a Public Interest Litigation was filed over the rampant dumping of building debris along the Panaji-Old Goa bypass road and that taking serious note of the gross violations of law, various orders came to be passed by the High Court in that petition which was finally disposed on June 26, 2008, based on a Minutes of Order that was signed and submitted to the Court. He further stated that in the Minutes of Order the Goa Government had undertaken to continue and take to its logical conclusion investigations into the dumping of construction debris on the Panaji-Old Goa bypass. However, he alleged government has done nothing to comply with the undertaking.
The bench has now adjourned the hearing to February 26.
Team TNV
