Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday admitted the Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by the NGO Goa Foundation and citizens groups from Vasco challenging the repeated recourse to Land Use Registers for revision of Outline Development Plans (ODP) of Panjim and Vasco.
The Bench adjourned further consideration of the PILs for a period of eight weeks, in view of the order issued by the State government suspending ODPs in the State. Petitioners have been granted liberty to approach the High Court should the need arise.
The petitioners have sought an order to quash and set aside the decision of the government as communicated in the two orders dated December 28, 2018, to prepare the land use register and map for Panjim and for Mapusa under Section 26-27 of the TCP Act. Similarly, the petitioners also seek directions from the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) to demolish all illegal constructions and non-conforming land uses that are not in harmony/conformity with the notified ODP 2016 and which have come up after the notification of the area as a Planning Area.
Further, the Bench is urged to direct the NGPDA and GPPDA to carry out alternations/additions in the development plan only in terms of Section 34-38 of the TCP Act and to direct the two authorities to demolish all illegal constructions and non-conforming land uses that are not in harmony/conformity with the notified ODP.
The petitioners also sought an order quashing and setting aside the order and notification dated July 1, 2021, approving and adopting the land use register for the Panjim planning area and as interim relief to stay the publication/ notification of any land use register and map in respect of both Mapusa and Panjim planning areas until the final disposal of the matters.
For Vasco, the petitioners sought similar interim relief to stay the resolution for the adoption of the land use register and map in respect of the Vasco planning area dated November 18, 2019 and notified on December 5, 2019.
