MARGAO: Concerns are mounting as eco-sensitive lands face increasing conversion, prompting the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) to launch a public awareness campaign. To address this pressing issue, a public meeting is slated to take place at Lohia Maidan in Margao on April 25. The GBA has been actively engaging communities through vilalage-level gatherings, shedding light on the widespread conversion of eco-sensitive areas, including fields, hills, and residential zones, for real estate purposes.
At an awareness meeting in Navelim, Sabina Martins, Convenor of the GBA, voiced apprehension over the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department’s actions, accusing them of converting vast swathes of land into settlement areas via gazette notifications. She further highlighted that approximately 80% of these conversions primarily benefit real estate developers. Similar gatherings have recently convened in Colva, Utorda and other villages in South Goa, in additions to meetings held in the North district too.
The speakers at these awareness meetings also cited instances of land conversion, which have been observed in various locales, starting from Old Goa to Nuvaem, with the scale of land being affected ranging from thousands to lakhs of square meters. Notably, in Pilerne, concerns were raised about the conversion of a lake to accommodate a new building.
