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Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Urgent Tillari board meet demanded over land denotified for casino firm
Panaji: The members of the Tillari Irrigation Development Board have called for an immediate Command Areas Development (CAD) board meeting to discuss state govt's decision to denotify 3.3 lakh sqm of the Tillari command area at Dhargalim. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Govt's decision will pave the way for Delta Corp Ltd, a casino company, to set up an integrated resort. But residents of Dhargalim have strongly opposed the decision and have demanded its revocation. The Tillari irrigation project is an interstate initiative involving Maharashtra and Goa, built at a huge cost, and Goa govt has notified 14,521ha of land under the Goa Command Area Development Act, 1997. At a CAD board meeting held on Sep 27, 2024, the insistence was voiced to approve the scheme and have it notified, which the board did. So the scheme, prepared under Section 17, was finally notified under Section 18(2) of the Goa Command Area Development Act. 'The consequences of this notification are provided in Section 19 of the act, which clearly prohibits the diversion of such land,' CAD board member and MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said. 'I am at a loss to understand how the Goa cabinet could bypass the statutory powers vested in the CAD board and agree to denotify such a huge tract of notified Command Area Development Authority (CADA) land. This is without jurisdiction and totally illegal,' Ferreira said. He added, 'When we finished approving the scheme, what can be the rationale or the justification, that too, within a span of about six months from the date of its notification, to denotify it as CADA land? Just because a casino has applied for it?' Ferreira said. Irrigation command areas directly relate to notified command areas, meant to enhance the agricultural produce in Goa. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Thus, this matter also falls in the domain of the WRD minister and the agriculture minister. And yet, this decision appears to directly contravene the state's agricultural policies and Command Areas Development Act, Ferreira said. 'Based on this set of concerns and the urgency of the matter, I write to request to convene an immediate meeting of the CAD board to discuss the issues raised by me and to enable govt to come clean on the issue in the larger public interest,' a letter sent to the member secretary of the CAD board said.
India.com
13-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Goa: CADA Member, MLA Alleges Illegality In Denotifying Farmland For Casino Project
Aldona MLA and Command Area Development Authority (CADA) member Carlos Alvares Ferreira has strongly condemned the state government's decision to denotify 3.3 lakh square metres of irrigation land in Dhargalim, Pernem, for a proposed casino project. Calling the move "fraudulent and illegal," Ferreira warned that the decision would not withstand judicial scrutiny. The land in question, originally earmarked for the Tillari irrigation project, was recently denotified by the state cabinet to facilitate the establishment of a gaming zone by Delta Corp Ltd. Ferreira, a senior advocate, said the denotification directly violates provisions of the Command Area Development Act, which was enacted to protect agricultural lands and support farmers through irrigation. "I was shocked to read in the news that CADA land is being handed over to a casino firm. This land was classified for irrigation use just six months ago under an approved scheme by the CADA board," Ferreira said, noting that the cabinet's unilateral action bypassed the statutory procedure outlined in the Act. BJP Government which promised doubling farmer's income has snatched land from them and has given to Casinos at Dhargal. I condemn Governments move of giving 3.33 Lakh sq meter of notified CADA land to Delta Corp Ltd for setting up of 'Integrated Resort Development Project. — Yuri Alemao (@Yurialemao9) May 12, 2025 He explained that under the law, land can only be included or excluded from CADA through a formal scheme involving public objections and board approval. "I personally ensured the approval of this scheme at the last CADA board meeting," he said. Criticising the role of the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) and the state cabinet, Ferreira asserted that no executive decision can override statutory authority. "The cabinet has no power to bypass a board constituted under a law passed by the legislature," he stated. Ferreira also accused the government of favouring casino interests, pointing to a reported Rs 5 crore waiver granted to Delta Corp. "I demand that the BJP government explain who benefited from this waiver. This appears to be a corrupt act aimed at gifting public land to private players," he said, adding that such actions contradict the BJP's earlier stance against casinos in Goa. "This is proof that the government is selling Goa piece by piece. CADA land is meant to sustain agriculture, not promote gambling," Ferreira said, vowing to challenge the decision legally.
