NGT rejects claim of automatic restoration of ruined sand dune

Panaji: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has accepted a report of a joint committee rejecting the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority’s (GCZMA) claim that a destroyed sand dune in Sernabatim is getting restored through the natural process and that no intervention is required.
A road was constructed over the sand dune that was later demolished as per a GCZMA order dated August 28, 2011 that was upheld by the high court of Bombay at Goa. The GCZMA, however, rejected another application that sought to ensure restoration of the destroyed sand dunes.
The applicant then approached the NGT praying that restoration of the damaged property by reconstructing the damaged sand dune be carried out to reverse the damage done to the environment. In its response, the GCZMA told the NGT that it had solicited reports framed by the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB), Saligao, along with its own expert member. It said that as per the report, “restoration of the sand dune for the demolished road at Sernabatim beach was seen happening by a natural process and evidence is seen on the ground that herbaceous growth is taking place”. “Hence, it is recommended that the area may be allowed to reclaim naturally as far as possible and by planting native dune vegetation,” the GCZMA stated.
The NGT, however, formed a committee comprising one member from the NCSCM, Chennai, and one from the GCZMA to check the status of the restoration.
The committee told the tribunal that “restitution through natural process is not possible due to the presence of an existing mud road adjacent to the area under restitution”.
Admitting the appeal, the NGT has asked the GCZMA to respond within four weeks. It has also asked the authority to waive off inspection charges for the appellant, “because the joint committee report does indicate that there is ring of truth in the averments made by the appellant”.