Digital Goa, Sep 2 – The fate of a proposed construction project at Sancoale has become linked to a larger private forest dispute pending before the Supreme Court, with the apex court deciding to hear Goa Bachao Abhiyan’s(GBA) challenge along with the connected Goa Foundation matter. Appearing for GBA, Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam argued that the proposed construction falls within an area claimed to be private forest, though the project proponents dispute the classification. He contended that the land was subsequently denotified and challenged the High Court’s finding that it had never been notified as forest land.Alam submitted that the very basis of the forest classification dispute is already before the SC in the Goa Foundation case. If that challenge succeeds, he argued, the foundation for permissions granted to the Sancoale project would fall as well.The bench, however, questioned the forest claim, with Justice Bagchi pointing out that the land had been classified as a C1 zone since 2009 and that the classification was reflected in the 2011 zoning plan.On a query from CJI Surya Kant about construction at the site, Alam clarified that neither construction nor groundbreaking had commenced, citing an interim order operating against construction.The Supreme Court thereafter directed that the two connected matters be taken up together. The next tentative date of hearing is Sept 7
