MARGAO, April 6 -- An offender in Cavelossim was fined Rs 21.5 lakh by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) as environmental compensation for constructing illegally on the banks of River Sal.

According to GCZMA, the property may be attached if the fine is not paid. The violator's argument that environmental compensation should only be determined for the 197 square metres in question was also rejected by the authority, since this is the area where the construction was done.

GCZMA calculated the compensation for the total property of 1,186 square metres.

"The authority in the first place has taken into consideration the total area of 1,186 sqm on account of the fact that the offender has not limited his illegal construction ...