Demolition of Curlies restaurant, linked to Phogat's death, resumes after brief halt

Panaji: The demolition of parts of Curlies Restaurant at Anjuna Beach in Goa, which was in news after the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat last month, resumed on Friday afternoon following a brief halt due to a Supreme Court order. The apex court earlier in the day stayed the demolition so the action was halted for a few hours, but the order was limited to only the part of the restaurant standing on a particular survey number, said a senior official of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA). The GCZMA in 2016 ordered action against the restaurant as parts of it stood on No Development Zone in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms which govern construction activity in coastal areas.

After the SC order, we surveyed that particular part and it is kept out of the demolition drive. Rest of the parts which violate Coastal Regulation Zone rules are being demolished, the official said.

Linet Nunes, a co-owner of Curlies Restaurant, had moved the National Green Tribunal against the 2016 order of the GCZMA ordering demolition.

But the tribunal refused to stay the demolition in its order on September 6, following which the administration swung into action.

The demolition squad of the North Goa district administration began pulling down parts of the restaurant at 7.30 am on Friday. The process was stopped around 11.30 am following the Supreme Court order.

The authorities stopped the demolition for a while before resuming in the afternoon.