A large number of protestors from across the State on Thursday converged in Panjim, demanding the immediate dismissal of Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane over an alleged the indiscriminate land conversions and zone changes during his tenure.
The protestors later marched to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's official residence at Altinho, to submit their representation signed by over 700 signatories, but were stopped by a large posse of police personnel. They demanded that a three-member delegation be allowed to meet the chief minister and submit their representation, but the Tiswadi Mamlatdar requested them to give their representation to him and that he will submit it to the chief minister. The protestors accused the police of violating their democratic rights by stopping them. After nearly an hour, the police agreed to allow a delegation to meet the Chief Minister.
Accordingly, environmentalists Dr Claude Alvares, Swapnesh Sherlekar and Direndra Phadte went to the chief minister's residence to submit their representation but were disappointed over Sawant's absence. After returning to the protest site, Sherlekar said, "It was a joke on us and a joke on Goans that the CM was not at his official residence.
This shows that the government does not work for us. It is also a case for every Goan to note that ministers have no time to meet the people. The government is working against the people of Goa." "I think that it is a very sorry state. My impression of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has fallen by 40 to 50%. I respect him because he is a doctor. But what is the nature of the com munication between the bungalow upstairs and the people here and the police and the mamlatdar," Claude Alvares said.
"They are unable to tell the people here that the chief minister is not in the bungalow. Then why have you blocked the road and not allowed us to go up? We have submitted the letter to the staff and we will get the ac- knowledgement tomorrow," he said.
"We will continue our protest till Rane is sacked from the cabinet. We will also pursue our cases in courts to protect Goa's land. Rane is destroying eco-sensitive zones. People are annoyed but the government does not seem to bother. We will not stop till Rane is sacked," he added
The protestors alleged, "By enacting Section 17[2) of the Town Planning Act, Rane allowed the arbitrary re-zoning of land exclusively for conversion of approximately 26.5 lakh sqm of land for private gain. This amendment generated conversion charges exceeding Rs 260 crore, but the High Court's judgment dated March 13, 2025, has now restrained further amendments under Section 17(2), affirming the irregularity of these conversions and indicating that they were likely unsustainable under the law. Despite this, Rane's failure to tender his resignation is both inexplicable and irresponsible."
The protestors charged, "The expenditure of more than Rs 4 crore for legal representation in the High Court, with- out the requisite approval from the Finance Department, is a serious breach of protocol and a gross misuse of tax-payers' money."
They said, "After the Goa Foundation and public some spirited citizens challenged the Section 17(2) of the Act Rane introduced Section 39A, further expanding his authority to permit private zoning changes in Outline Development Plans (ODPs) too. But after this provision was similarly challenged, the government refrained from issuing final notifications under this section until further legal clarity was obtained." The memorandum signed by signatories, submitted to the chief minister's office, further states, "As Minister for Forests, Rane exhibited a similar inability to manage the State's vital ecological resources of forest and wildlife. Notable instances of his failure to protect Goa's forests included his opposition to the Tiger Reserve in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary; approving the construction of an "illegal" resort on the Surla Plateau within the Sanctuary
This project threatens the habitat of endangered species such as the sloth bear further underscores the minister's disregard for Goa's environmental protection and wildlife laws." "Rane's approval of alleged illegal exclusions of surveyed forest plots directly contradicts both the Supreme Court's orders and the principles of sustainable forest management," it alleged. "In conclusion, the actions and inactions of Rane, both as Minister for TCP and Forest, have not only jeopardized Goa's ecological heritage but have also cast a long shadow over the credibility of the government.
Rane's continued association with high public office is untenable, and his presence in these vital portfolios is proving to be a liability both to the State and to its citizens," the signatories stated in the memorandum, reiterating their demand for Rane's immediate resignation from the Cabinet to prevent the ongoing degradation of Goa's environment and eroding of public trust will.