Daijiworld Media Network- Panaji

Panaji, Aug 8: A political storm brewed in the Goa Assembly on Thursday after Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane revealed that his department had approved “corrections” in land use for over 17 lakh square metres of land under Section 17(2) of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974.

Section 17(2), introduced through an amendment in March 2023, allows private landowners to seek rectification of “inadvertent errors” or “incoherent zoning” in the Regional Plan 2021. Although the Bombay High Court at Goa had earlier read down the provision in March this year, the state government has challenged the ruling before the Supreme Court.

Responding during Question Hour, Rane asserted that no cultivable land has been converted under the provision. He added that the TCP department had also processed 950 applications for zone changes under Section 39A of the Act, of which 35 were approved — resulting in 2.7 lakh square metres of land use being altered.

However, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao hit back, accusing the government of systematic destruction of Goa’s agricultural land under the guise of “zone correction”. He alleged that the provision, meant to help small Goan landowners whose land was wrongly zoned, was now benefiting outsiders and large-scale real estate interests, including alleged conversions of paddy fields and orchards.

“Villages are facing the pressure of overdevelopment, while local communities fear their land is being alienated. The so-called ‘corrections’ are helping non-Goans buy second homes,” Alemao charged, demanding clarity on whether the government planned to bring a new regional plan.

Rane, however, maintained his stance, saying, “We are not converting any land under Section 17(2). It is only correction.”

An investigation by The Indian Express in September 2024 had earlier reported that ministers, politicians from various parties, and real estate firms were among those benefiting from such land use changes — allegedly converting over 20 lakh square metres of “green zones” into “settlements” between March 2023 and August 2024, paving the way for high-value construction projects.