Remove beached hulk from Goa coast fast, orders HC

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave the government of Goa two months to begin removing the rusting hulk of the River Princess, which ran aground on the popular tourist beach of Calangute a decade ago.

Wwhile disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL), Justices D G Karnik and F M Reis said the authorities had till next June to tow away the boat, which hit the coast of north Goa during storms in 2000. "In any case, the work must be completed before the next monsoon," the court ordered. The bench also made it clear that the interim measures taken by the government to prevent further erosion of the beach should continue till the removal of the ship.

The giant iron ore carrier has become a familiar sight to the tens of thousands of tourists who flock to the former Portuguese colony's white sands every year. The PIL was filed by the River Princess Hatao Manch, which pointed out the environmental damages that the stranded vessel had caused to the beach over the last 10 years.

Sand and silt that has accumulated in the holed ship over the years has created an artificial sandbank, diverting tides and affecting currents, while corroded metal has been found on the shoreline, campaigners say.

The judges said they took into account a report from the ministry of earth science, which said further delays in salvaging the vessel would weaken its structure, and its presence had led to an "immense ecological imbalance".

The state government in Panaji, which has taken over ownership of the ship, had started a tendering process and a salvage contractor would be announced next week, advocate general Subodh Kantak said.

During the case's hearing, the petitioners' advocate Nigel Costa Frias objected to the state government considering the proposal of Salgaocar Mining Industries Pvt Ltd to remove the ship. He argued that the tender should not be granted in favour of SMIPL as the company was responsible for the disaster.

Kantak replied that the government has always maintained its stand that the ship should be removed immediately. For that purpose, it would take all necessary steps, he said.