Team Herald
PANJIM: In a sudden move ahead of Town & Country Planning Department’s crucial board meeting, six Congress legislators led by Michael Lobo met at a five star resort in Panjim on Saturday.
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Sources said that the six MLAs are purportedly showing their inclination to join BJP, although the latter has already made their stand clear to not allow any entry from defectors or other party leaders.
Lobo, who is currently drawing flak from TCP minister Vishwajit Rane over the land conversion issues, is said to be heading the lobby.
In the past, Rane had fired salvo at Lobo stating that he would book those involved in the illegal conversion of land and also revert it to its original use. Lobo’s attempts are to pre-empt any such move which may put him in deeper trouble after his separation from the BJP.
No Congress leaders are willing to speak up on the meeting on the record even as there is no denial. Many had switched their phones off on Sunday to avoid replying to media queries pertaining to the MLAs meeting.
Rane on Saturday said that the upcoming Board Meeting will resolve that land converted illegally in the suspended Outline Development Plans (ODPs), will be reverted to its original status. “We will not allow illegalities any further. Leaders have misused public office and converted tenanted land into commercial and settlement land as per their needs, through which they have earned crores of rupees. During the next Board Meeting, we will take a decision to revert back the land which was converted illegally in the suspended ODPs,” he was quoted as saying.
He also assured to table a comprehensive report on the Floor of the House highlighting all the illegalities and irregularities involving the ODPs.
The TCP Department is also looking into a complaint from Goa Foundation pertaining to the notified ODP of Arpora designating tenanted agricultural lands as settlement or commercial zones, which, according to Rane, is in explicit violation of the Agricultural Tenancy Act and the Goa Land Use Act 1991.
