SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: A unique event was held at G R Kare College of Law on Friday, to commemorate the successful conclusion of the Public Interest law Course conducted by Goa Foundation (GF) during April -May, in association with the college. The course catered to ordinary citizens, activists, law students and NGOs.
At the event, eight eminent lawyers answered questions on law, courts, crime and public issues from the audience comprising more than 100 people who registered for the course.
One of the major issues that GF and some of the participants have been protesting are the proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act. GF Director Claude Alvares recalled how they had challenged the 16B amendment to the TCP Act and now because all the 7,000 earlier applications were cancelled, the government has brought in these new amendments. He explained that the amendments meant that a party can come and say that their land is shown in orchard instead of settlement areas, and the can government ‘correct’ it using Section 17 (2) of the TCP Act. Alvares urged Goans to recognize the contrasting interests between the TCP Department and the well-being, survival, and environmental preservation of Goa.
