Govt gets 3 days to reply in NGT case

Panaji: The high court of Bombay at Goa has granted time till Friday for the state government and ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to file their affidavits in the case regarding transfer of matters of Goan litigants before National Green Tribunal (NGT), western zone, to Delhi.

Justice G S Patel and Justice Nutan D Sardessai granted the state only three days, instead of a week requested, and fixed the next hearing of the matter on September 12.

While social activist Kashinath Shetye had filed a petition in the matter earlier, Goa Foundation and Baina Fishing Canoe Owners Society have also filed petitions in the matter.

Members of the Bar Association of Goa will also be filing an intervention petition in the case.

Taking a strong stand against the transfer of cases and also imposing an interim stay on transfer of files from Pune to Delhi, the judges had in the first hearing last month sought an explanation from the government as to why only cases from Goa were taken further away from Pune.