PANAJI: Over 530 hectares (53 lakh sqm) of land have been designated for settlement under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, as per the compiled data on all proposals approved across the state.
This significant reclassification, primarily from agricultural and natural lands to settlement areas, demonstrates that a measure intended for minor adjustments has evolved into a methodical erosion of Goa’s ecological integrity.
Notably, over 51% of the land converted under Section 39A is concentrated in just five villages, highlighting a pronounced geographic development pressure.
The data clearly indicates that most of this clustering occurs in Pernem taluka. A report published by TOI on October 10, 2023, discussed the draft zoning plan 2023 for Pernem, which proposed converting 1.4 crore sqm—about 21% of the taluka’s green cover—protected under the Regional Plan 2021 for development.
The report spurred intervention from the PMO, prompting TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane to abandon the plan for taluka-level zoning. However, the TCP department continued to make incremental zoning changes through Section 39A to facilitate individual land conversions.
Corgao in Pernem has seen the most significant conversion, with 10.5 lakh sqm shifted to settlement. Following are Sancoale in Mormugao with 7 lakh sqm, Old Goa with 4.3 lakh sqm, Parcem with 2.8 lakh sqm, and Tivim in Bardez with 2.6 lakh sqm. Together, these five villages account for 27.2 lakh sqm of land changes, more than half of the total approvals under this section. Other villages experiencing significant approvals include Arambol (239,979 sqm), Mandrem (205,950 sqm), and Morjim (187,005 sqm). This data encompasses both final and provisional land use change clearances.
The figures show that northern coastal and inland villages are absorbing the largest share of land conversions, which is notable in light of previous attempts to implement a taluka-level zoning plan for Pernem, which was discarded due to public outcry.
Local residents and real estate developers attribute this surge in conversions to the opening of the Manohar International Airport, which has heightened land demand in Pernem and adjacent coastal areas. Real estate forecasts predict continuous price increases in North Goa, especially in villages like Morjim, Mandrem, and Arambol. This conversion data supports this pattern of investment focus.
Beyond Pernem, Sancoale’s 7 lakh sqm conversion also follows a similar trajectory. Sancoale, situated between Goa’s largest industrial estate and the Goa International Airport, reflects a gradual shift from mixed land use toward residential and commercial development.
The data comes from the Goa Official Gazette, supplemented by RTI information and analyzed by PhD researcher Tahir Noronha.
A comparison between the north and south further emphasizes disparities, with the vast majority (53 lakh sqm) of land converted under Section 39A located in North Goa’s Pernem, Bardez, and Tiswadi talukas. In contrast, South Goa represents a smaller, more fragmented portion of these changes.
The inclusion of villages like Se-Old Goa and Latambarcem among the higher conversion areas raises concerns about the cumulative effects on heritage-adjacent and environmentally sensitive sites.
