The much-awaited report on the ODPs of Calangute-Candolim, Arpora-Nagoa-Parra and Vasco has been tabled in the House, and as expected there have been glaring observations made, throwing open a plethora of land illegalities and fraudulent zone conversions. The report was prepared by a 10-member team headed by the chief town planner Rajesh Naik and included town planners of north and south Goa. The question is, what's next?
The committee observed that several properties marked under the agriculture zone in the Regional Plan 2021 and eco-sensitive areas, such as paddy fields and tented lands, were illegally converted into a settlement zone. The panel has put on record properties marked as mangroves in RP 2021 that have been converted into settlement zone and pointed out inconsistencies in roads shown in ODPs. Interestingly, it is also noted that settlement zones earmarked under RP-2021 have been arbitrarily removed at certain places. A detailed list of properties marked for zone reverting has also been provided. The spotlight has been clearly on Calangute MLA Michael Lobo with the report showing lakhs of sqmts of land illegally converted in the ODPs of Calangute-Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra.
Land illegalities are not new in Goa, but this report is an eye-opener because it exposes the chinks in the system and tells us how PDA heads exploit situations and engage in blatant conversions. Yes, Lobo has to explain these decisions, and keeping aside the legal recourse which he may pursue as his only option, he must understand that he is accountable for his actions as the chairman of PDA during his time.
On the flip side, it is to be seen if TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane's action can stand the scrutiny of the law, if and when there is a legal recourse taken by those named in the report. Firstly, the TCP Minister will have to prove that a fraud has been committed against the State, and then justify his action. This will be the decisive point in this entire fight against land illegalities.
Secondly, the conversions that have been cleared during the chairmanship of Lobo had the same set of planners, and hence some from the current team, including signatories, approvers and even ministers, could be held accountable too. The TCP minister’s argument that the planners cleared these plans under duress from Lobo since he was at the helm of the PDA may not stand before the law.
Preparing a report on illegalities could be relatively an easy task in comparison to the long-drawn legal battles that normally follow. The spadework may have been done, but the job for Rane and the team is far from over. Land illegalities have been the focus of attention ever since the TCP minister stepped on the pedal. With Lobo who is pushed to the back foot trying an ambitious political remedy to the situation, we hope that these land illegalities are taken to their logical conclusion.
