MARGAO, April 26 -- Team Herald

The The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone, has admitted a petition that questions the legality of nine jetties operating close to the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Chorao along the Mandovi River.

Filed by two environmentalists, Dikshay Phadte and Ajit Volvoikar, the petition targets the Captain of Ports, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), and five other respondents. The petition seeks a declaration that jetties intended for non-fishing purposes cannot be permitted in tidal water bodies designated as fish breeding areas or ecologically sensitive zones under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification of 2011.

The petitioners have also urged the tribunal to direct authorities ...