Team Herald
PANJIM: Former Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel has denied that he had taken the route of correction of the zone under 17(2) of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act. He has also denied that he was aware of existence of any alleged structure on the property acquired by him at Aldona, after converting it into a settlement.
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Goel in his affidavit filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, has stated that in October 2023, he sold his flat at Gurgaon for Rs 3.10 crore and decided to invest the said amount in buying a residential property in the State since he had plans to settle down in Goa after he retires from government service.
Goel said that in April 2024, one Antonio Cruz, who deals in properties in Goa informed him about the property for sale at Aldona, who were ready to sell provided they get a marketable price. On inquiry with Cruz, it was revealed that the house property is a settlement property and the house existing in the property was built way back in 1973.
He purchased the property bearing Survey No 36/1 of village Aldona admeasuring 1,874 square metres from Cyril Philip Mendonca for Rs 2.60 crore, by sale deed registered on July 5, 2024.
But after registering the sale deed, he realised that there were errors in the sale deed as there was a mention about publication of a public notice dated March 11, 2024. Goel stated that another serious mistake was of not mentioning the details of the house in the same property and the details of the house.
He stated that he had no knowledge or information about the house property or its owners before meeting Cruz. And therefore denies the allegations made by the petitioner.
Direndra Phadte of Ecoxim, Bardez and Jose Maria Miranda of Borda-Margao had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition challenging the land acquired by Goel at Aldona after converting it into settlement. The duo have prayed that the authorities be directed to remove the ‘illegal’ structures in the paddy field and to restore the field to its original condition.
The matter has now been posted for next hearing on December 6.
