Panaji: Amid increasing scrutiny over the unrestricted use of Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act to alter land use classifications in the Regional Plan 2021, the TCP department has approved the conversion of more than 5.8 lakh square metres of land into non-development areas. The move, implemented through a fresh notification issued by the department, aims to safeguard eco-sensitive zones and prevent them from being used for commercial or residential purposes.
Key Approvals for Non-Development Zones
The largest approval pertains to Salvador do Mundo in Bardez, where 2.2 lakh square metres spread across multiple survey holdings has been designated as non-developable area. While the original proposal covered 2.7 lakh square metres of no-development slope, orchards and natural cover, the department retained 52,570 square metres as settlement zone.
In Pernem, 2.3 lakh square metres of land at Mandrem comprising orchard and no-development slopes has been approved as non-developable. A further one lakh square metres at Cavelossim, Salcete, consisting of paddy fields, orchards, mangroves, and settlement areas, has also been brought under a no-development classification.
Another proposal involving 32,376 square metres at Morjim was approved for use as a playground and classified as a non-developable area. Together, the approvals place approximately 5.8 lakh square metres of land under non-development status, a move that TCP minister Vishwajit Rane is likely to project as a measure aimed at countering criticism that Section 39A has primarily facilitated development-oriented zone changes.
Simultaneous Conversions to Settlement Zones
This criticism finds fodder with the TCP department’s second notification issued on Thursday which cleared four applications seeking conversion of ecologically sensitive and agricultural land into settlement zones. The approved proposals include 240 square metres of orchard land at Aldona, 321 square metres of orchard land at Cumbharjua, and 259 square metres of orchard land at Socorro. All three plots have been reclassified from orchard to settlement zone.
More significantly, the government approved the conversion of a 300 square metre plot at Karapur, Bicholim, from ‘cultivable land with irrigation command area’ to settlement zone. The approval, however, stipulates that any secondary development on the property can be undertaken only after obtaining a no-objection certificate from the water resources department.
Continuing Use of Section 39A
The approvals underline the continuing use of Section 39A to alter land-use classifications on a plot-by-plot basis, including the conversion of agricultural and environmentally significant land categories into settlement zones. The TCP department stated that while all proposals were processed under the Goa Town and Country Planning (Change of Zone of Land in the Regional Plan or the Outline Development Plan) Rules, the alterations remain subject to the outcome of writ petitions that are pending before the Bombay high court.
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