Court permits de-sealing of illegal museum to feed aquarium fish

Panaji: The Bombay high court on Wednesday permitted a museum running from an illegal structure at Arpora to be de-sealed to feed aquarium fish after the owner told the court that it has 84 aquariums with 10,000 fish of 150 species that need to be fed.

Observing that the fish, if left unfed, are likely to perish, HC directed the Arpora-Nagoa panchayat to deseal the museum for four hours each on Thursday and Saturday for staff to feed and maintain the fish and aquariums, subject to payment of costs of Rs 20,000.

Thereafter, the HC directed the panchayat to reapply the seal.

The HC, hearing a PIL concerning illegal land-filling and constructions in paddy fields at Arpora-Nagoa, directed the structures to be demolished.

On Tuesday, it held that no commercial activities be permitted to be carried out from the structures and directed the secretary of the Arpora panchayat to keep 21 illegal structures, where demolition orders have been issued, sealed until the director of panchayats decides on their appeals.

All 21 went in appeal against the demolition orders to the director of panchayats and some obtained a stay on demolition.

A division bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar on Tuesday stated that even if a stay on demolition of some structures has been obtained from the director of panchayats, no activity of any nature should be conducted in these structures until the appeals are decided on.

The HC in March in the PIL sought answers from the deputy collector as to why the demolition squad was not deployed.

This was after the panchayat told the court that a demolition squad was requisitioned from the deputy collector/demolition squad, Bardez, and several reminders were sent to the demolition squad.

The HC in April 2024 asked the panchayat to explain why around 40 showcase notices alleging illegal land-filling and construction issued in 2023 and a few in 2024 were not disposed of and explain why demolition orders were not executed till date. At the time, HC also directed the panchayat to submit a timeline in which the demolition orders would be executed.
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