Accusing the government of failing to fulfil promises regarding the protection of their ecologically sensitive hills, residents of the Pomburpa, Olaulim and Ecoxim on Sunday staged a protest, demanding their areas be declared “No Development Zone”.
The villagers recalled that Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane had assured the Goa Legislative Assembly during its 7th session that the hills in these three areas would be declared a No Development Zone (NDZ) due to their fragile ecology.
Alleging that this promise has not been unfulfilled till date, they claim the government instead has facilitated large-scale construction projects that threaten the areas’ green cover, delicate hill systems, and biodiversity.
Many of these projects, the villagers allege, are driven by outsiders with little concern for the local community or environment.
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Claim many of the projects are driven by outsiders with little concern for the local community or environment
Threaten to take their agitation to other villages if the hills in their areas are not declared NDZ
Allege zoning laws are being manipulated under different provisions of the TCP Act
Accuse the panchayat of siding with those destroying the environment
Say the recent road widening project was pushed through without proper consultation
Argue that the project has worsened traffic congestion, strained infrastructure, and eroded public trust in the planning process
Addressing the gathering, Dhiren Phadte, a villager, said, “The protest is about fulfilling key demands. The hills in our areas must be declared a no development zone. If this doesn’t happen, our agitation will spread to other villages as well. We’ve been raising this demand for years, but the government refuses to listen. If their attitude doesn't change, we will not stay silent.”
Phadte alleged that zoning laws are being manipulated under different provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act.
Peter Franko, another villager, urged the local MLA to raise the issue during the upcoming monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. “We want to know when the earlier announcement regarding hill protection will be officially included in the Official Gazette,” he said.
Mithun Mhambrey, another villager, accused the local panchayat of siding with those destroying the environment. “The same panchayat members who distributed saplings with the MLA are now granting permissions for hill cutting and environmental degradation,” he charged.
The villagers also voiced strong opposition to a recent road widening project, which they say was pushed through without proper consultation. They argue that the project has worsened traffic congestion, strained infrastructure, and eroded public trust in the planning process.
Communities across all three areas have been organising public demonstrations, including protest marches, village meetings, and adopting gram sabha resolutions, demanding immediate government action to safeguard their natural environment.