Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: The Goa Town and Country Planning (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2024, as well as three other bills relating to the departments of Public Health and Urban Development that he had introduced on August 1 in the state Legislative Assembly, were withdrawn by TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Rane asserted that the Law Department, not TCP, was the one who proposed the validation clause in the amendment bill.
“The Law Department suggested adding the validation clause; I didn’t do it. It wasn’t recommended by my department (TCP). I’m explaining because there’s been a misperception about it,” he remarked.
He further said that he will not be swayed, regardless of whether you’re in the opposition or in power.
“Everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to see work done by the department. However, working in such a department is like walking on a tightrope, where one misstep can lead to getting burned from both sides,” said Rane.
By changing Section 134 of the Act, the TCP bill aimed to shield the government from court review of property conversions made possible by the ODPs.
The BJP core committee members and a few ministers brought up the public’s resistance to the controversial measure, which prompted the decision to withdraw it.
The proposed bill aimed to include sub-section 2 (C), which declared that any land development permission granted by a competent authority under this Act would be final and binding on all other competent authorities under other state laws currently in effect regarding any development proposals to be undertaken by any person.
No authority under any other state law currently in effect could challenge such permission on any basis, including but not limited to the approvals’ compliance with other state laws currently in effect regarding land development, as long as the competent authority complies with the provisions of those other state laws.
