With the landmark High Court ruling cancelling the Outline Development Plans (ODPs) in the five villages of Calangute, Candolim, Parra, Arpora and Nagoa now in the public domain, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is — how much land in these five villages will now need to revert to the Regional Plan 2021 as per the court’s judgment?
A preliminary investigation byO Heraldoshows that the reversion sword hangs over 1,071 properties—spread across 883 survey numbers—in multiple villages, including Arpora, Nagoa, Parra, Calangute, Candolim, and Marna.
However, the judgment, delivered by Justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita P Mehta on June 23, has granted a four-week stay on implementing the order, effectively giving the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department time to move the Supreme Court.
Documents reviewed byO Heraldoreveal 142 new zones were added in the December 2022 ODP without adherence to either RP 2021 or the previous ODP 2020. Additionally, 235 plots were rezoned without public objections being filed.
“The judgment was perfect. This is how our land use decisions should have been made. Advocate Norma Alvares’s presentation was excellent. Based on this judgment, we will be able to save what little is left of our once-green Goa,” said Antonio de Souza, a resident of Candolim.
“The government initially challenged the High Court ruling in the Supreme Court but was directed to return to the High Court. It’s a 118-page order, and while I haven’t read it in full, it clearly indicates who benefits and who doesn’t,” said Joseph Sequeira, former Sarpanch of Calangute Panchayat and a petitioner in the case.
“This judgment is a blessing in disguise — not just for Calangute and Siolim, but all of Goa. You can’t promote tourism while destroying our green spaces. The Goa Foundation deserves credit for another successful fight,” said Balbhim Malvankar, an environmental activist from Vagator.
Arpora:26,740 sq m
Parra:25,672 sq m
Calangute:15,790 sq m
Candolim:8,480 sq m
Nagoa:19,900 sq m
The judgment highlights the conversion of 96,582 square metres of agricultural land (non-tenanted) to settlement zones:
Additionally, 694 properties were reverted based on recommendations made by a government-appointed Review Committee during the tenure of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, who then served as chairman of the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) in the 2012-2019 period. There were 377 conversions under former Town and Country Planning (TCP) Secretary Rajesh Naik, during the drafting of the 2022 Outline Development Plan (ODP). Naik is currently under a vigilance inquiry.