Team Herald
PANJIM: Illegal conversion of orchard land for development will now be a criminal offence with the violator to be booked with a punishment of simple imprisonment up to one year. The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department has identified 20 lakh sq mtrs of orchard land as illegally converted.
The TCP board which met on Thursday evening under its Minister Vijai Sardesai decided to amend the existing Town and Country Planning Act so as to fix criminal liability on people involved in illegal conversions and development of orchard land. The Board also decided to make section 49 (VI) of the Act, that mandates PDAs to issue NOC for sale of land in the city areas, applicable to the entire State.
The amendment will be introduced during the winter session of the Legislative Assembly, scheduled in December. “If we are not able to amend the Act in the coming session, we may also introduce an ordinance for the same,” Sardesai told media persons after the meeting
“We are of the opinion that there is need to amend the TCP Act to fix criminal liabilities thereby acting as a deterrent to such illegalities. We are suggesting that the liability for person getting involved in illegal conversion should be one year simple imprisonment,” the Minister said.
He said that prima facie, the investigation suggests that around 20 lakh sq mtrs of orchard land have been illegally converted. “There can be more as per TCP findings,” he added.
At the same time, the Board has also decided to give some relief to those, who have legally converted the land and utilised it for residential purposes.
Sardesai said that to ensure that the common man is not affected due to the proposed amendment, it has decided to offer an amnesty period till March 31, 2018 for those who want to legalise their conversions. The applications on case-to-case basis would be considered under Section 17 of the TCP Act for legalising the conversions, he said.
“These applications for legalising the conversions would be considered on case-to-case basis, and on their merit with a condition that the conversions are not in eco-sensitive areas, khazan land, sloppy paddy field or low lying areas,” the Minister explained.
“RP 2001 will be considered as a base plan for deciding on these applications,” he said adding that government has sought a legal view to decide on the status of Regional Plan 2021.
“We have to study the status of Regional Plan 2021 and whether it has legal sanctity. In the absence of such clarity we have decided to base the permissions for conversions on RP 2001,” he said.
In order to block further illegal conversions, the minister said the government will make No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the department mandatory for the change of use of the lands.
Announcing a populist measure, Sardesai said the department will exempt single family dwellings from infrastructure tax, if it is spread across of area up to 250 square metres. “Only the second or more generation Goan will get the benefit of the infrastructure tax exemption,” he clarified adding that those who are not from Goa will not be able to enjoy the benefit.
