TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2024
SHWETA KAMAT
PANJIM: Amidst public opposition and a PIL pending in the High Court, the Department of Town and Country Planning (TCP) has continued its action of rampant conversion of “natural cover” into “settlement” in the Regional Plan 2021 under the guise of rectifying errors and correction of inconsistent/incoherent zoning proposals. This time, it has allowed the conversion of over a whopping 50,000 square metres of natural cover into settlement in Assagao village.
In a notification issued on May 29, the Chief Town Planner (CTP), following State government approval for alteration and modification in the RP 2021, has allowed conversion of 48,200 square metres land- surveyed under Survey No 69, Sub-Division No. 1 in Assagao and another 1,810 square metres surveyed under Survey No. 192, Sub-Division No. 1 (Part) in Assagao- from natural cover zone to settlement zone.
While one application was received on March 27, another was submitted on April 11.
“The Government has considered the reports and it is of the opinion that alteration/modification is necessary to be carried out to the RPG-2021 for the purpose of rectifying inadvertent error that has occurred in the RPG-2021 and it has directed the Chief Town Planner (Planning) to carry out alteration/modification to the RPG-2021 for the purpose of correcting/rectifying the zone of the said plots which is earmarked as a natural cover zone as per RPG-2021, to settlement zone by issuing notification under sub-section (2) of Section 17 of the said Act,” the notification stated.
Further, in Raia village, 919 square metres of paddy field has been corrected and earmarked as a settlement zone. This is in Survey No. 229, Sub-Division No 12-D.
Three activists Pravinsingh Shedgaonkar of Betim, Mayur Shetgaonkar of Morjim and Swapnesh Sherlekar of Bicholim have filed an amended PIL writ petition before the High Court of Bombay at Goa praying to strike down Section 17 and Sub-Section 2 of Goa TCP Act, 1974.
The petitioners argued that Section 17 (2) of the TCP Act does not provide for any public consultation before the government affects any changes in the Regional Plan to correct any so-called inconsistent/incoherent zoning proposals or inadvertent errors in RP such public consultations ought to have been provided.
Section 17 (2) gives unbridled powers to the Chief Town Planner and the government to make changes to the Regional Plan under the guise of correcting errors and inconsistent zoning proposals in the Regional Plan.
