The Principal Bench of the New Delhi-based Green Tribunal, which is hearing a case on the alleged violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone rules during the extension of the fisheries harbour at Bunder, has adjourned the case to March 24.
The 2011 construction work, which was estimated at Rs. 57.6 crore and then revised to Rs. 100 crore, was halted with the Bench ordering the maintenance of status quo on a petition filed by Mangalorean Octavia Albuquerque and others against the Union of India and others. The tribunal stayed the project saying that the project was filling up a natural creek in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone rules.
On October 29, 2014, the tribunal had permitted the proponents of the project to remove debris from a part of the project site and had posted the matter to December 10, 2014, for further hearing which, it said, would continue daily. During the last three hearing dates, the matter was adjourned each time by about a month, even as the port officials expressed concern that the delay would further escalate the cost of the project.
When the matter came up before the tribunal on Thursday, it noted that the counsel for the applicant was “stated to be unwell” and requested for adjournment. Granting the request, it posted the matter to March 24.
It may be noted that the matter had originally gone to the Karnataka High Court, which on February 5, 2013, directed its transfer to the Green Tribunal in 2014.
The latter subsequently passed an order staying the execution of the work.
City-based Octavia Aluquerque had questioned the expansion project alleging that a natural creek near a tile factory was being filled up in violation of CRZ rules. To ascertain the truth, the tribunal, which ordered status quo on April 2, 2014, had set up a committee of experts which placed its report before it.
After assuming charge as the Minister of State for Fisheries K. Abhayachandra Jain told presspersons in Mangaluru on June 9, 2014, that the government would try to vacate the stay on the project.
The Green Tribunal stayed the work saying it violated the Coastal Regulation Zone rules
The cost of the work, which was estimated at Rs. 57.6 crore, was revised to Rs. 100 crore
