Taleigao project fined Rs 31 lakh for environmental violation

Panaji: The Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 31.2 lakh on a residential-cum-commercial project at Odxel in Taleigao for environmental violations.

The project proponents had applied for environmental clearance in March 2023 before the Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (Goa-SEAC). However, the committee did not recommend the proposal after finding that project activities were being carried out without valid environmental clearance.

The committee observed that the project’s earlier environmental clearance had expired in 2013 and was not renewed, despite construction activities continuing at the site.

Following Union environment ministry guidelines issued in July 2021, Goa-SEIAA decided to levy a penalty linked to the project cost and turnover during the violation period.

In Dec 2023, the authority refused to approve the project’s terms of reference under the violation category as the prescribed penalty had not been paid.

The matter was reconsidered in Jan 2026 after the project proponents cited a Jan 20 office memorandum issued by the Union environment ministry allowing the processing of pending and unconcluded cases.

Goa-SEIAA subsequently directed the developers to submit details of the built-up area, construction expenditure, and turnover generated during the violation period.

According to submissions made before the authority, the total construction cost incurred outside the validity period of the environmental clearance stood at Rs 24.4 crore, while Rs 27 crore had been received from sales attributable to the constructed area as of April 6 this year.

Based on these figures, the authority imposed a penalty of Rs 24.4 lakh, equivalent to 1% of the project cost incurred, and an additional Rs 6.7 lakh, equivalent to 0.25% of the turnover during the violation period.

“The total penalty payable works out to Rs 31.2 lakh,” Goa-SEIAA said, adding that the pending terms of reference for the project will be issued only after the penalty amount is paid.