PANAJI: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the town and country planning department and the Mormugao planning and development authority regarding a petition challenging the permissions granted for the Ramodaya Cooperative Housing Society project in Mormugao.
The SC bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, has directed all parties to maintain the status quo concerning the possession and construction of the disputed property.
Swapnesh Sherlekar approached the SC after the Bombay High Court dismissed his petition last year, which contested the development permissions and alleged significant hill cutting for the project.
Sherlekar is challenging the inaction of the chief town planner and the MMC chief officer for not revoking the development permissions and construction license granted to the Ramodaya Cooperative Housing Society, despite evidence of illegal property conversion to a commercial zone and subsequent permission acquisition.
He claims that the development permission was granted due to the influence of Kamla Prasad Yadav, a member of the MPDA, and contends that the purported 10-meter-wide road access does not exist, with actual access being only about 6 meters—as supported by a 2021 report from the mamlatdar. He argues that without a proper site inspection, the chief town planner and officer were misled regarding the actual access width to gain technical clearance and construction license.
The High Court, while dismissing the petition, stated it is reluctant to intervene in the case filed in 2023 concerning development permission granted back on March 16, 2018, especially as construction is already at an advanced stage.
