Team Herald
PANJIM: As Goa battles ongoing hill-cutting, the Pilerne Citizens Forum has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court at Goa challenging the zone changes and land conversions done by using Sections 17 (2) and 39 A of Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act. The hearing is scheduled today.
Speaking to mediapersons, Pilerne Citizens Forum president Prakash Bandodkar on Wednesday alleged that through these two amendments, over three lakh square metres of land which was either paddy fields or hills have been converted in Pilerne and other areas of Saligao constituency.
The Forum questioned that if in Pilerne, three lakh square metres land has been converted, then what about the entire State where rampant hill cuttings are also being resorted.
Bandodkar said that the Forum had already challenged the Section 16 B of TCP Act and the matter was subjudice.
Despite of this, the government brought Section 17 (2) to allow land conversions, but following public outcry, the government misguided the people stating that it was scrapped but introduced another new Section 39 A allowing spot zone changes. By using 39 A of TCP Act, the government allowed to change over three lakh sqmts of land mostly fields and hills in Pilerne and surrounding areas.
Alleging that the government was destruction spree of the State, Bandodkar said, “We have challenged the legality of both Sections 17 (2) and 39 A of TCP Act before the High Court. The matter is posted for hearing on Thursday.”
Also two public interest litigations (PILs) writ petitions challenging Section 17 (2) of the TCP Act, allowing conversion of lands from orchard and other zones to settlement on grounds of errors in the Regional Plan will also be heard before High Court on Thursday.
The NGO Goa Foundation, the Khazan Society of Goa and the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) and three public-spirited Goans Pravinsingh Shedgaonkar of Betim, Mayur Shetgaonkar of Morjim and Swapnesh Sherlekar of Mulgao-Bicholim filed these two separate PILs challenging permissions granted to build farm houses at Morjim, Pernem including the land which was converted from orchard to settlement.
They have prayed to quash and set aside the newly added section 17 (2) of TCP Act and to strike down the alternations and modifications made in the Regional Plan for rectifying errors and correction of inconsistent/incoherent zoning proposals Rules 2023.