Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Defying growing health concerns, St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar today reaffirmed that he will persist with his indefinite hunger strike until Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act is scrapped by the State government.
Borkar’s fast entered its fourth day, even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant personally visited him at Azad Maidan and urged him to withdraw the agitation, citing his declining health and the need for discussions within the Assembly.
The protest began last Friday with a sit-in outside the TCP office and was later shifted to Azad Maidan, where the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) MLA launched an indefinite fast demanding the repeal of Section 39A — a provision critics allege enables large-scale land conversions.
According to RGP sources, Borkar’s health parameters dropped late Monday night, leading to his admission to a private hospital. After receiving medical attention, he returned to the protest site on Tuesday morning and resumed his fast. Doctors have advised him to drink at least three litres of water per hour to prevent dehydration. While he has agreed to consume water, he has refused any solid food until the government announces a rollback of the provision.
Speaking to the media after meeting Borkar, the Chief Minister said he had urged the legislator to raise the issue in the Assembly. “We can deliberate on the matter in the proper forum and arrive at a conclusion. I have conveyed a positive approach regarding his demands,” Sawant said, adding that he was concerned about Borkar’s health and had also consulted doctors attending to him.
Later in the evening, Speaker Ganesh Gaonkar met Borkar and appealed to him to reconsider his decision. A joint meeting was also held at the protest site involving Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, AAP MLA Venzy Viegas, villagers and civil society members, who attempted to persuade him to call off the fast. However, Borkar stood firm.
The St Andre MLA has demanded that the State Cabinet take a formal decision to repeal Section 39A and introduce a Bill in the Assembly to strike it down. He has also sought an affidavit from the Advocate General in court declaring that all zone change approvals granted under the section stand cancelled.
Borkar said the Chief Minister had assured him that applications given provisional approvals would be reviewed and cases involving final approvals examined. “Until there is a clear and official statement from the government, my fast will continue. My health is secondary — the health of Goa comes first,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, late Tuesday night, the Chief Minister convened a high-level meeting with TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane to deliberate on the escalating agitation. Following the meeting, Sawant reached out to Borkar in the early hours of Wednesday and proposed keeping the approvals granted under Section 39A in abeyance while initiating the statutory procedure required for further action.
Sawant stated that a formal communication to place the approvals in abeyance is ready and would be handed over once Borkar calls off his hunger strike. However, he clarified that the process could take over a week, as it would involve convening a TCP Board meeting and issuing a public notice in accordance with legal requirements.
Borkar, however, has rejected the proposal, maintaining that residents of St Andre are not seeking a temporary suspension but complete cancellation of all nine zone change proposals linked to Section 39A in the constituency. Of these, four have already received approvals. He expressed apprehension that projects kept in abeyance in the past were later revived and warned that merely suspending the approvals could open the door to prolonged legal battles.
Around 100 supporters gathered at Azad Maidan on Tuesday to express solidarity, though some also appealed to him to prioritise his health. Environmentalists Claude Alvares and Norma Alvares also met Borkar, urging him to end the fast and explore democratic and legal remedies to challenge the provision. They assured him of their support in pursuing the matter through the courts.
The agitation intensified on Monday when several hundred protesters marched to the private residence of TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane at Dona Paula. Following the demonstration, the Chief Minister appealed to agitators not to disrupt public order and instead submit their concerns formally to the government.
