PANAJI: Following recent steps to freeze land in eco-sensitive areas, including riverbanks, the Goa government has opted to permit construction in developable areas on a “need-based” basis.
During a press briefing in Panaji on Saturday, Goa’s Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister, Vishwajit Rane, highlighted the state’s limited developable land due to ecological concerns.
“Construction in no-development zones, as identified by the TCP and forest departments, will not be permitted,” he stated.
Rane emphasized that future development permits would be based strictly on necessity. “Only after careful assessment will approvals be granted on a need-based basis. We will not allow large areas of land to be converted for development,” he added.
According to Rane, only seven lakh square meters have been approved for development during his tenure, despite numerous proposals for converting large areas.
“The Regional Plan 2021 designated approximately 9.5 crore square meters as development zones. Our goal is to address the errors made in that plan,” Rane remarked.
The minister also mentioned that his department will file FIRs against officials who categorized private forest land as settlement zones in Pernem taluka.
Additionally, no construction permits will be granted within 100 meters from hill slopes, he noted. Last week, the forest department declared 6.27 crore square meters of land along the Mandovi and Zuari rivers as “ecologically sensitive”.
