KARSTEN MIRANDA
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PANJIM: Questioning his integrity and casual approach in the Aldona land controversy, activists and Opposition politicians hauled ex-Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel over the coals after he submitted an affivadit in court, stating that he had “signed more than 700 files in March 2024”, one of which approved rezoning of a plot in Aldona he later purchased.
Reacting to this, activists called for a review of all the files he had cleared during his tenure, while others said that the quid pro quo in the Aldona land deal was clear as daylight.
Goel, who was transferred as Chief Secratary Goa after the controversy broke last month, submitted his affidavit to the High Court of Bombay at Goa. in response to a PIL by Dhirendra Phadte and Jose Maria Miranda.
The petitioners alleged that the zoning of the Aldona property was illegally altered from paddy field to settlement under Section 17(2) of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974. This provision allows changes to rectify errors without public consultation. The petitioners claimed that Goel, also Secretary of the Town and Country Planning Department at the time, signed off on the file just months before acquiring the property for Rs 2.6 crore in July 2024.
Goel has denied allegations of abusing his position to facilitate the zone change, asserting that it was a government expert committee decision and approved through standard procedures.
Activist and researcher Swapnesh Sherlekar, the whistleblower in this case, expressed outrage at Goel’s explanation. “The CS claims he signed 700 files in that month. The mess in which he finds himself because of his carelessness is for the public and the court to decide on now. If this is the way he has signed those 700 files and more – particularly administration files – then we can only pray to God for our safety. Such carelessness is not acceptable. The affidavit filed by him suggests he is unsuitable for the job. Forget being the CS of a State, he is not even competent enough to be a clerk. The demand should now be to review all the 700 files he has signed,” Sherlekar said.
Sherlekar also highlighted Goel’s lack of due diligence before purchasing the property. “It is unbelievable and shocking that a person of his stature can claim that he did not do due diligence before purchasing a property that under his watch had been converted from ‘Paddy Field’ to ‘Settlement’ only a couple of months back. The property also had an illegally constructed bungalow entirely in violation of CRZ Regulations. Keeping in mind that he himself was Environment Secretary in the past, this is truly unacceptable,” he added.
Criticising Goel’s justification in the affivavit, Goa Congress Vice-President Sunil Kawthankar called for a review of all files signed during his tenure. “As the CS, he is a well-trained and experienced IAS officer, and not a Panchayat Secretary. Even if we go by his explanation, all the decisions taken by him must be reviewed. But the former CS can’t absolve himself as he is a direct beneficiary of his own action, and it’s a cardinal rule of natural justice that no one should be a judge of their own cause,” Kawthankar said.
Activist and senior architect Tulio De Souza questioned the integrity of Goel’s actions and raised concerns about his tenure. “The statement made by the CS to the HC raises serious doubts that he has taken this senior position casually, by signing 700 files without due application of mind. All his decisions in this tenure can now be called into question. The other part is that he signed a file first and bought the property next. This cannot be accepted, because this ‘quid pro quo’ between signing a file and purchasing is evident,” De Souza said.
De Souza also criticized the conversion of agricultural land and the lack of adherence to Goa’s principles of land preservation. “If he bought the property later, his due diligence would have revealed this agricultural land was converted, which is not in the right spirit. Even if it was done via the 17(2) law – which is the same law that has been challenged in the HC – it is not in the proper spirit of Goa, where we are trying to save agricultural lands. The least expected from the head of state administration, as an assessor, was to uphold not only the values but the law in the first place,” he added.
Senior advocate Cleofato Almeida Coutinho dismissed Goel’s claims as an attempt to deflect responsibility, noting that the matter is sub judice. “The CS only attempts to skirt around by saying he was not aware. Our courts are competent to deal with all whataboutery,” Coutinho said, while adding that it was not appropriate to pass further inferences as the case is still before the court.
Jack Mascarenhas, President of the green NGO Goyche Fuddle Pillge Khatir (GFPK), said “The claim that the former CS signed 700 files in a single month, including one related to a property he subsequently purchased, is deeply concerning. Such a statement undermines the integrity of the decision-making process and raises serious questions about accountability and transparency in governance. As citizens, we must demand integrity from our leaders and take responsibility to protect our land,” Mascarenhas said.
