The State government on Saturday came in for sharp criticism for allegedly using the Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (IPB) to approve ‘controversial’ projects which cannot be cleared by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) vice president Tulio De Souza alleged that the IPB meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant approved two starred hotel projects in Survey No. 95/1 of Reis Magos much to the annoyance of the villagers, who are upset with the destruction of their pristine land. The proposed project comprises a five-star hotel, one four-star hotel and a multi-level parking facility.
According to De Souza, the land where the proposed project has been approved is an agricultural land and alleged that two-third of the area falls in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), in the No Development Zone (NDZ) and within the setback area of the defence forces.
He said that the villagers including fishermen had filed their objections, while the Reis Magos gram sabha had also passed a resolution on June 30, 2024, opposing the project proposed by the Spark Healthline Pvt Ltd from New Delhi. But the government threw all caution to the wind and approved the project. He also pointed out that houses are located on the lower part of the plot.
Alleging that the IPB is a scam, De Souza demanded that it should provide status report of the projects approved by it in the last 10 years. He further demanded that the government should withdraw the proposed project failing which the people will come on the streets to stop the project.
De Souza said the government had earlier approved construction of 62 luxury villas in Reis Magos, even as villagers continue to face an acute water crisis. The Congress leader questioned the rationale behind granting such large-scale project clearances when the basic needs of the villagers remain unmet.