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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Now, TCP approves conversion of 1L sqm land under Sec 39A
The airstrip and hangar at Michael Boren's Hell Roaring Ranch in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho, May 30, 2025. Boren, nominated by President Trump to lead the Forest Service, is accused of threatening trail workers with a helicopter, building an airstrip without a permit and putting a cabin on federal property. (Aaron Agosto/The New York Times) Panaji: The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department has approved the conversion of just over 1 lakh sqm of land that was earlier classified as orchard and natural cover. The TCP board cleared the five applications for land conversion under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act after 'due consideration of the suggestions' received during a 30-day window, said Vertika Dagur, TCP's chief town planner (planning). Dagur said the alteration and conversion of the five plots in the Regional Plan, 2021, will be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions pending before the high court. The PIL, filed by Goa Foundation, challenges the provisions of Section 39A, alleging that they allow arbitrary and ad hoc conversions of privately owned plots within the Regional Plan and notified outline development plans, which could lead to unplanned and undesirable development in Goa. Of the 1 lakh sqm that was put up for conversion, nearly 69,129sqm falls in Pernem's Parcem village. The entire tranche of land was converted for residential housing. The TCP department said that it examined the five proposals along with scrutiny reports before placing the applications before the TCP board for its decision. Dagur said govt has also approved the change of zone for the five plots. 'Therefore, in view of the recommendation of the Goa TCP board being approved by govt and in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 39A of the Goa TCP Act, the Regional Plan and the outline development plan is hereby altered and modified as specified,' Dagur said. Section 39 of the TCP Act garnered attention after the HC read down Section 17(2) of the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, which the department was using to facilitate land conversion in the Regional Plan and outline development plans. The high court had observed that 'plot-by-plot conversion' under Section 17(2) 'virtually has the effect of mutilating the Regional Plan' and thus the scope of the law had to be narrowed.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Goa vigilance department suspends chief town planner pending ‘disciplinary proceeding'
The Goa government's Directorate of Vigilance Wednesday suspended Rajesh J Naik, the chief town planner (planning) of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department. An order issued by the Directorate of Vigilance said that a 'disciplinary proceeding' against Naik is 'contemplated'. 'Now, therefore, the Governor of Goa, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, hereby places said Rajesh J Naik, the Chief Town Planner (Planning), Town and Country Planning Department, Panaji – Goa, under suspension with immediate effect,' the order said. The suspension comes over two months after a petition was filed in the High Court of Bombay at Goa by some environmental activists. The petitioners sought disciplinary action against the chief town planner for allegedly causing loss of several crores to the exchequer by undervaluing assessment fees for the correction of a zone change of a plot under the contentious section 17 (2) of the Goa TCP Act. The petitioners also sought directions to the state to initiate an inquiry to ascertain the loss caused to the exchequer in the assessment of fees in respect of 120 cases published in the official Gazette for change in zoning under section 17 (2) since April 2024. The activists had also lodged a complaint with the police and vigilance department in February in this regard. Last month, the state government informed the HC that it found 46 beneficiaries of zone change wherein the fees for correction was underassessed. The state had said that a preliminary inquiry had been initiated by the vigilance department and a report would be submitted to the HC. Rajesh J Naik did not respond to calls for a comment. In October last year, members of several citizens' collectives, civil society and villages across the state had staged a protest outside the office of the Town and Country Planning department demanding Naik's resignation. The people had alleged that the chief town planner 'approved, endorsed and signed on' conversion of lakhs of square metres of land in the state under some contentious changes in land use laws, including under section 17 (2) and section 39 (A) of the TCP Act, causing severe damage to the coastal state's ecology.
