Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira has accused the Goa BJP government of orchestrating a fraudulent denotification of over 3.33 lakh square metres of protected agricultural land to facilitate a high-end casino project by Delta Corp Ltd.
Addressing the media, Ferreira said the land—measuring 3,33,805 square metres and recently notified as CADA land in November 2024—has been illegally removed from protection to accommodate an “Integrated Resort Development Project” that includes casino operations. The denotification, he alleged, was pushed through the Goa Cabinet under the guise of the Goa Investment Promotion Board (Goa-IPB), without informing members of the Command Area Development (CAD) Board, of which he is a member.
Terming the decision “fraudulent and totally illegal,” Ferreira claimed the government has also waived off crores in dues to benefit the casino operator. “This is yet another corrupt act by the BJP government. It is pretending to support farmers while systematically destroying agriculture and handing over land to its corporate allies,” he said.
Ferreira added that the move contradicts the BJP’s earlier stance on casinos. “Despite promising to remove casinos from Goa, the BJP is now facilitating their expansion. This is clear evidence that the government is in a hurry to sell Goa before the next elections,” he said.
The MLA called for transparency and accountability in the land denotification process and warned that such actions could have long-term consequences for the state’s agricultural sector and its future.
