NGT notice to Goa govt on TOI’s hill-cutting report

Panaji: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of TOI’s July 19 report, ‘20k sqm Pilerne hill conversion risks landslides, threatens lake’, and issued notice to the Goa govt and called on the authorities to file their replies at least one week before the hearing, scheduled for Sept 23.The principal bench of the tribunal issued notices to the town and country planning (TCP) department, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Goa State Pollution Control Board and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority.The news report relates to a proposed land conversion of 20,000sqm on Pilerne hill, an ecologically sensitive area that lies within the buffer zone and catchment of Saulem lake, raising serious concerns about landslides, deforestation, and environmental damage.TOI’s report indicates “violation of provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, the Environment (Protection) Act 1986” and raises “substantial issues relating to compliance with the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment”, the tribunal said.The conversion provisionally granted under Section 39A of the TCP Act, if granted final approval, will see a steep hill slope being opened for construction.The land parcel is currently marked as partly orchard with ‘no development slope’ in the Regional Plan 2021, meaning that the gradient is considered too steep for construction and is vulnerable to soil instability.The proposed conversion appears to violate zoning norms and poses risks of landslides, erosion, and loss of ecological balance.TOI reported that environmental experts believe building on such steep slopes can cause more rainwater to flow quickly, wash away soil, and lead to landslides, especially during the monsoon.The TCP ignored the fact that the site is close to the ecologically sensitive Saulem lake, also known as Pilerne lake and a protected wetland, which could be affected by any construction activity. The department also failed to assess the ecological impact of converting such a sensitive hill area, the report said.