'Owner should bear cost of hill restoration' 11 Sep 2008, 0305 hrs IST,TNN PANAJI: Amicus curiae, Norma Alvares, assisting in a case of illegal hill cutting, in a submission to the high court of Bombay at Goa, suggested that the owner of a property should be asked to bear the cost of restoration of the hill.
Following submission of the report, advocate general, Subodh Kantak, assured the court that the suggestions would be duly examined, and that steps taken, would be reported to the court. Norma's report came in the wake of a request made by the court that sought suggestions to regulate illegal hill cutting in the state. The court took cognizance of indiscriminate hill cutting in the state by the developers. In her report, Norma stated that if the owner is found guilty under Section 17 A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, then, even after payment of the fine, he should not be permitted to use the area of the hill for future development. The report stresses on initiation of measures - to be undertaken by the (TCP) department - to protect the hill after it is cut. The recommendations in the report include seeking advice from experts for immediate stabilisation of the cut portion and its restoration on a priority basis without prejudice to any legal proceedings. A significant suggestion of the report is that the violators should not be permitted to enjoy the benefits of illegal hill cutting even while the case is pending. "This will act as a disincentive to people who illegally cut hills in order to speedily develop their plots," she said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Goa/Owner_should_bear_cost_of_hill_re storation/articleshow/3469076.cms ~(^^)~ Avelino
