Panaji: The Goa government today found it difficult to persuade the Bombay High Court to listen to its challenge to the NGT order levying a fine of Rs.10,000 per day against the government for not being able to produce its report on private forests within the time stipulated by the NGT.
Goa government subsequently withdrew Writ Petition No,1016/2019, with liberty to file a statutory appeal.
The High Court wanted first to know why they were not submitting the report. The AG replied this conflicted with the natural justice of landowners.AG claimed only JMFC can levy such fines. NGT had no power to do so.
The Court however insisted they should have complied with the NGT order. Now they were already late. They could have appealed the order. Justice Sonak said in fact we should examine whether the state should pay or the officers responsible should pay the fine.
