PANAJI: The Bombay High Court has dismissed public interest litigations (PILs) questioning the permissions for Bhutani’s Acqua Eden project in Sancoale. The judges, Justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita P Mehta, ruled that the technical objections raised were “unfounded and not substantiated by any concrete material.” While the court acknowledged the PILs were entertained in the interest of the public, it found no merit in the objections against the project.
The court observed there were no discrepancies in the slope level computations and noted that the Secretary of the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority verified the use of advanced systems for the survey.
Furthermore, the court validated the permissions for hill cutting granted under Section 17-A of the Town and Country Planning Act, stating that after reviewing the contour plan and inspecting the site, the permissions were in order. The judges highlighted that they lack the expertise compared to professional town planners in Goa and thus declined to show leniency.
The high court also rejected claims that the sanad was invalid due to the lapse of environmental clearance, clarifying that under the Goa Land Revenue Code, the issuance of sanad is not contingent upon obtaining environmental clearance. Senior advocate ANS Nadkarni, representing the project developer, assured the court that no construction would commence without the necessary environmental clearances. He indicated that the project proponent had hired Aditya Environmental Services Private Limited to obtain clearance under the EIA Notification of 2006, though persistent rainfall had caused delays in soil testing and tree surveys.
The project is set to feature a total built-up area of approximately 85,886 sq. meters, including high-density developments with multiple villas, 685 private swimming pools, and parking for over 800 vehicles.
