PORVORIM: Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday said that no land has been converted under Section 17(2) of TCP Act as the provision is for rectification of any inadvertent errors and for correction of inconsistent or incoherent zoning proposals.
Replying to a starred question table by Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas regarding files processed under Section 17 (2) of Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, the Minister said that the matters related to ‘corrections’ of zones in Regional Plan 2021 under provisions of 17(2) of the TCP Act are being heard by the Court and next hearing in the matter is scheduled on August 8.
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“All survey number details are in Court. Let the Court take a view of what they want. The TCP Department will give its point of view,” he said.
The Minister further said that all zone change matters under Section 16 B of TCP Act have been kept on hold as the matter is before the High Court. No land is converted under Section 16B of TCP Act, he said. “We will not touch matters under Section 16 (B) of TCP Act as the matter is heard by the High Court but people need settlement relief under Section 17 (2) vis-à-vis Regional Plan 2021.
Rane said that the government introduced Section 17 (2) since there were mistakes and it was required. The applications have been decided on a case to case basis based on requirements, he said.
To a supplementary question asked by Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira, the Minister said that a plot of land which was earmarked as settlement in regional Plan 2001 and converted as Orchard in RP 2021 was eligible for correction under Section 17 (2) Of TCP Act. Why people who want to develop their properties be punished because of errors in RP 2021? The minister asked.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai demanded that the government should repeal Section 16 B of the TCP Act.
“I have also moved a private members bill to repeal Section 16 B of the TCP Act,” he said.
8,390 sq mtr more area ‘corrected’ in Regional Plan 2021 to settlement zone
Meanwhile, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department notified ‘correction’ in Regional Plan 2021, zone change of three plots together admeasuring 8,390 square metres to settlement zone.
Plot B admeasuring an area of 1,390 square metres surveyed under Survey No. 189, sub-division No. 2-A, of Dramapur Village in Salcete taluka, which was earmarked as paddy field as per Regional Plan 2021 has been corrected as settlement zone, while plot of land admeasuring an area of 2,500 square metres surveyed under Survey No. 48, sub-division No 3 (Part), of Ambelim village in Salcete taluka, which was earmarked as paddy field as per Regional Plan was corrected as settlement zone and part of the plot of land admeasuring an area of 4,500 square metres surveyed under Survey No. 499, sub-division No. 0 of Anjuna village in Bardez taluka, which is earmarked as natural cover with No Development Slope as per Regional Plan was corrected as settlement zone.
