the goan I network
PANAJI
A day after the government informed the Bombay High Court that clearing fresh proposals for change in land-use zone will not be possible, the Town and Country Planning Board deferred taking up some 60-odd proposals for conversion under the controversial section 16B at its pre-scheduled meeting on Friday.
Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar, who as TCP minister is also chairman of the board, later told journalists that the board will also review all the conversions provisionally granted by the board under section 16B. More than eight-lakh square metres of land has been already granted provisional approval by the TCP board in two consecutive meetings held in June and July when former Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai chaired the board as TCP Minister.
Sardesai had piloted the amendment to insert the controversial section 16B which enabled the board to modify the regional plan and permit land-use zone
conversion of land for prescribed fees on a case-to-case basis. Sardesai had argued that the amendment put an official price for such land conversion while in the past it used to be arbitrarily done.
On Friday meanwhile, Kavlekar after chairing the board meeting, said the State government will honour all High Court orders in the ongoing proceedings in which the new section 16B is being challenged. “All decisions will be taken keeping in mind the High Court’s orders and directions to make sure that there is no contempt of court committed,” Kavlekar added.
