PANAJI: The Bombay High Court dismissed two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by villagers from Sancoale and Goa Bachao Abhiyan challenging the real estate project ‘Acqua Eden’, developed by M/s Parmesh Construction Co. Ltd. (Bhutani Infra) in Sancoale.
The division bench, comprising Justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita Mehta, noted that the PILs were rejected, with detailed reasons to be provided in a forthcoming order.
The petitioners raised significant concerns regarding serious illegalities and environmental violations, seeking to annul the clearances and licenses related to the project located in an eco-sensitive region.
They claimed that the permissions were obtained fraudulently and argued that the construction would inflict irreversible damage on the natural environment and biodiversity, depleting resources and adversely impacting the groundwater table, thus endangering local residents.
Goa Bachao Abhiyan informed the court that the project is being executed in a sensitive ecological area characterized by steep slopes (25% and above), previously forested land, and landslide-prone zones, which could pose severe environmental and safety risks to nearby communities.
