The Se Old Goa Village Panchayat has issued a stop work notice to a developer carrying out unauthorised valley filling and land development activities in Survey No. 17/1 (Part) at Bainguinim.
The notice was issued following a complaint by Glean Cabral, a villager regarding the filling of a valley, dumping of earth/murrum and alteration of the natural land form on the property without obtaining prior permission or licence from the village panchayat.
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Although the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department had issued a provisional NOC dated 05/01/2026, the panchayat observed that the said NOC was provisional in nature and subject to several conditions. The NOC does not grant permission for filling of valleys or alteration of natural slopes. Condition No. 1 clearly stipulates that the necessary licence must be obtained from the village panchayat. Further, one of the conditions requires prior permission of the Chief Town Planner for any cutting of sloping land under Section 17(A) of the Goa TCP Act, 1974.
As per the records of the village panchayat, no construction licence, land development permission or filling permission has been obtained for the said works, states the notice signed by sarpanch Medha Parvatkar.
The act of filling the valley and altering the natural terrain without licence from the Village Panchayat amounts to unauthorised development under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, violation of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act and poses environmental hazards, particularly considering the sloping nature of the land and the risk of soil erosion or landslides.
The developer has been directed to immediately stop all filling, dumping, levelling, excavation, or development activities at the site; remove all machinery and halt further transportation of materials to the site; produce within 48 hours from receipt of the notice all valid permissions/licences obtained from the village panchayat and other competent authorities, if any.
The panchayat has warned that failure to produce valid permissions or licences will result in action to seal the site, initiate demolition or restoration proceedings at the developer’s risk and cost, and file complaints before the competent authorities for prosecution under the relevant laws.
The notice has been issued in public interest to prevent environmental degradation and without prejudice to any further action that may be taken in accordance with law.
It may be recalled that O Heraldo had reported about the unauthorised filling near a spring at Bainguinim. On February 10, a flying squad had visited the site and inspected the ongoing work following complaints from locals.
