Daijiworld Media Network- Panaji
Panaji, May 1: In a major administrative action, the Goa government has suspended Chief Town Planner Rajesh Naik with immediate effect for his alleged role in the gross underassessment of land conversion fees, which reportedly led to a loss of several crores to the state exchequer.
The suspension was confirmed by Vigilance Director Akshay Potekar, who stated that disciplinary proceedings are being initiated against Naik, and that he has been directed to report to the Department of Personnel at the Secretariat in Porvorim. “Till this order remains in force, he shall not leave the department without permission from the competent authority,” the official order noted.
The move follows a public interest litigation (PIL) and a detailed inquiry by the directorate of vigilance, which was launched after Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the High Court that there were 46 identified beneficiaries of zoning changes where conversion fees were significantly underassessed by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department.
According to the PIL filed by activist Swapnesh Sherlekar, the TCP department bypassed the updated March 2024 notification, which raised the conversion fee to ?1,000 per square metre, and instead continued to apply the outdated ?200 per square metre rate. One case cited involved a land parcel of 89,500 sqm being converted to settlement zone — where the fee assessed was just ?1.7 crore instead of the correct ?8.9 crore, leading to a shortfall of over ?7 crore in a single transaction.
As part of the fallout, the TCP department has begun cancelling land conversions in cases where beneficiaries failed to pay the correct differential amount. All relevant files from the 46 cases were forwarded to the vigilance directorate, and a report is expected to be submitted to the High Court in a sealed cover, as per the Advocate General.
The High Court had earlier directed the Chief Secretary to personally look into the serious allegations of financial impropriety by the department.
With growing public scrutiny and court oversight, the episode is likely to trigger wider accountability and reforms in Goa’s land conversion and urban planning processes.