In a major push for land reform ahead of the Goa Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session, the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement has submitted a comprehensive Agricultural Land Protection Bill to various political parties. Drafted by former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court (Retd) Ferdino Rebello, the proposed legislation aims to safeguard Goa’s dwindling green cover. The movement has urged lawmakers to introduce and pass the Bill during the upcoming session, scheduled to commence on March 6.
Letters are being submitted to the presidents of six political parties represented in the Assembly as well as to three Independent MLAs. The process began on Saturday with a letter submitted at the BJP office for Damu Naik (who was unavailable) and to Congress president Amit Patkar and AAP State president Valmiki Naik. Leaders of the movement are expected to meet other party representatives in the coming days.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The draft Bill seeks to restore the status quo that existed prior to amendments to Sections 17(2) and 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act and the Goa Restriction on Transfer of Agricultural Land Act, 2023. Its objective is to prevent indiscriminate conversion of agricultural lands, protect Goa’s ecology and environment, and curb demographic changes in villages resulting from large-scale land conversion. The Bill also aims to ensure compliance with the Goa Land Use (Regulations) Act, 1991 and Section 31(A) of the Code of Comunidades.
It proposes halting further building permissions beyond the 526.31 sq km Settlement Zone notified under the Regional Plan 2021. Additionally, it seeks to nullify permissions granted for cutting hills and hill slopes that allegedly contradict the 2010 explanatory memorandum issued by the Chief Town Planner and the topo plan prepared by the Surveyor General of India. The movement contends that the 2023 guidelines framed by the TCP Board are illegal, as the Board lacked authority and allowed architects to submit independent gradient calculations inconsistent with the official contour plan.
The proposed amendment to Section 17(A) aims to restore the earlier position by permitting hill cutting up to a gradient of 25% only in cases of public interest. Any such permission granted by the Chief Town Planner must be supported by recorded reasons specifying the public interest involved.
The Bill further calls for a review of permissions granted under Sections 17(2) and 39(A) of the TCP Act that allegedly overlooked provisions of the Goa Land Use (Regulations) Act, 1991, which prohibits conversion of tenanted agricultural land, and Section 31(A) of the Code of Comunidades, which restricts change of land use. This includes land granted on emphyteusis by the Comunidades, where ownership remains with the Comunidade and the holder is only a perpetual lessee.
The draft legislation also seeks to repeal Section 39A of the TCP Act and amend Section 3(2) of the Goa Restriction on Transfer of Agricultural Land Act, 2023 to prevent tenancy paddy fields from being converted into settlement zones through various provisions of the TCP Act and the Land Revenue Code. It proposes repealing Section 32(1) of the Land Revenue Code introduced in 2024 and restoring the previous legal framework.
Most importantly, the Bill proposes inserting a new Section 22(A) into the Land Revenue Code. This provision would prohibit the transfer of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, bar its sale to non-agriculturists and allow transfer only to agriculturists residing in Goa for a period of 30 years. The measure aims to bring transparency in the law for development of land which is non-agricultural and in conformity with the settlement zone, notified under the Regional Plan 2021.
Leaders of “Enough is Enough” movement have hoped that the party leadership including its legislative wing will immediately introduce this Bill and ensure its enactment into a law in the forthcoming session of the Goa Assembly.If the Bill is passed into law, the people of Goa will remain forever grateful to them and their colleagues.
