Panaji: Residents of Karapur-Sarvan, who have been protesting The House of Abhinandan Lodha’s luxury housing project for the past 69 days, brought their agitation to the state capital on Friday and gave the government until Monday to issue a stop-work order.
Accompanied by St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar, the villagers marched to the environment department office, outmanoeuvring police who had deployed heavy security at the directorate of panchayats in anticipation of the protest. The demonstrators instead proceeded directly to the town and country planning (TCP) office before meeting environment director and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) member secretary Sachin Dessai.
The delegation demanded an immediate halt to construction activities, alleging that the project is proceeding without mandatory environmental clearance and other required approvals. Dessai assured the protesters that the matter would be placed before the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). The villagers said they would return on Monday to follow up on the issue.
Alleged Regulatory Violations
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai alleged serious regulatory violations, claiming that the project spans more than 50 hectares but is being processed without the environmental clearance required for developments of that scale. He further alleged that plot sizes were reduced from 300 sq m to 100 sq m under the “affordable housing” category without a formal application being submitted.
Prabhudesai also claimed that construction was under way without proper approach roads and without obtaining the necessary no-objection certificates (NOCs) from landowners.
Criticism of Enforcement
Borkar criticised the pace of enforcement, saying that no site inspection had been conducted despite repeated complaints. “Entire hills are being cut, trees are being felled and wildlife is being affected,” he said.
Social activist Swapnesh Sherlekar said the issue reflected a broader governance crisis. “This is like Delhi builders conquering Goa,” he said, alleging that administrative pressure was preventing officials from acting independently.
Environmental Impact
Members of the village Biodiversity Management Committee alleged that rampant borewell digging had dried up local springs, contaminated water sources used by cattle and destroyed wetlands, severely affecting agricultural and pastoral livelihoods.
A panchayat representative said the village, which has more than 7,000 voters, was never consulted before approvals were granted for the project.
TOI reached out to The House of Abhinandan Lodha but the company did not offer a comment.
