Team Herald
MARGAO: As realty space shrinks in North Goa and land sharks turn their gaze southwards, coastal villages in Salcete are advocating a new approach to manage and regulate development in their respective communities. As opposition to mega projects grows – whether luxury hotels or large housing developments – an emerging demand has taken shape: village panchayats are being asked to conduct carrying capacity studies to scientifically evaluate what their communities can sustain.
In Varca, where gram sabha meetings have frequently featured debates against large-scale developments, the panchayat has committed to working with consultants on such a study. The initiative comes as villagers face challenges in blocking projects through traditional means, as developers often secure approvals directly from departments like Town and Country Planning (TCP), Power, or PWD Water Supply, bypassing local governance structures.
Many cases throughout Goa have demonstrated that when panchayats delay or refuse permissions, project developers frequently prevail in court on technical grounds, despite strong opposition from village gram sabhas. Local concerns are often overshadowed by technical considerations that form the basis of permit approvals, though some projects have been rejected for specific violations.
The carrying capacity studies aim to provide panchayats with scientific evidence to argue against overwhelming development, demonstrating how new projects might strain existing infrastructure including water supply, roads, and electrical systems. Similar concerns were raised during a recent extraordinary gram sabha in Benaulim village, where residents opposed a multi-housing project citing infrastructure limitations, inadequate waste management, lack of proper sewerage, and potential negative impacts on farmers and existing homes.
Benaulim residents recalled passing a resolution for a carrying capacity study last year, though progress has been limited on this demand. Meanwhile, in Carmona, villagers have been putting together a village development plan aligned with the district development plan.
They are using it as a constitutional basis for granting or refusing permissions. Carmona villagers had famously blocked the Raheja mega project from being set up in the village on the grounds of how it would detrimentally affect the village including its identity.
In Colva, where environmental groups regularly clash with developers over projects allegedly coming in the CRZ zone, the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) has highlighted that government instructions already mandate carrying capacity studies for each village to determine appropriate development levels.
Local residents suggest there are two perspectives on the matter: either panchayats decline to conduct these studies because they support development projects, or they embrace the studies to reinforce gram sabha concerns and contribute to better village planning for the future.
What is a carrying capacity study?
A carrying capacity study is an overall environmental assessment that indicates the maximum number of people a piece of land can sustain when things like water supply, roads, electricity and other aspects are taken into account. Such studies are a good way of understanding if large housing/ hospitality projects can be allowed in a rural area
Where have carrying
capacity studies been done or proposed?
In Varca, the panchayat has committed to working with consultants on such a study. Similar concerns were raised during a recent extraordinary gram sabha in Benaulim, and residents recalled passing a resolution for a carrying capacity study last year. The Colva Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) has highlighted that government instructions already mandate carrying capacity studies for each village
Why are many gram sabhas
demanding
these studies?
It is often seen that when panchayats delay or refuse permissions, project developers frequently prevail in court on technical grounds, despite strong opposition from village gram sabhas. The carrying capacity studies aim to provide panchayats with scientific evidence to
argue against
overwhelming
development