Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: All provisional zone change approvals under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act in Pernem taluka have been temporarily put on hold, following objections raised by Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar.
Speaking to the media, Arolkar said that State TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane has assured that no provisional approvals in Pernem will move forward for the time being. “I have introduced a private member’s Bill concerning zone changes and will raise all related issues in the Assembly. The legislature is the proper platform to address such matters and seek government assurances,” the MLA added.
Last month, Arolkar had submitted a representation to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, alleging that nearly 60 lakh sq mtrs of land across 238 properties in Pernem had been converted under Section 39A.
He expressed concerns that many of these properties belonged to non-residents from states such as Delhi, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh and were approved rapidly based solely on landowners’ applications. He also claimed that areas designated as no-development zones, eco-sensitive regions, private forests, and agricultural lands were among those converted under the pretext of rectifying “inadvertent errors” in the Regional Plan 2021.
Minister Rane, however, had earlier rejected these claims, clarifying that official TCP records indicate only 21 cases have been finalized under Section 39A, covering 2,36,366 sq mtrs. He emphasized that provisional proposals do not constitute actual land conversion, which can only occur after thorough legal scrutiny, public objections, and formal notification by the government.
