MARGAO
An extraordinary meeting of the Benaulim gram sabha on Sunday resolved to strongly oppose any move to reclassify or change the zoning of paddy fields to No Development Zone (NDZ) or No Development Area (NDA).
After unanimously opposing the public notices issued by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department proposing changes to the status of paddy fields, the gram sabha decided to hold a public meeting at Dando grounds on July 4.
The gram sabha rejected the TCP notifications in their entirety, particularly those concerning paddy fields and agricultural lands within the village jurisdiction, and demanded that the lands continue to enjoy the full protection of the Goa (Restriction of Transfer of Agricultural Land) Act, 2023, without dilution through undefined categories such as NDA.
The gram sabha authorised the Benaulim sarpanch and Panchayat Secretary to submit formal objections to the Chief Town Planner and other authorities within the stipulated period. They were also directed to forward copies of the resolution to the TCP Minister, District Collector, local MLA and the Goa Legislative Assembly, and to take all necessary steps, including legal recourse if required, to protect the village’s paddy fields.
Calling for wider support, the resolution urged villagers and neighbouring gram sabhas to unite to protect Goa’s paddy fields and agricultural lands from any conversion or weakening of existing safeguards.
The resolution noted that the public notices propose to remove or reclassify existing paddy fields that are already designated as NDZ in the Regional Plan.
Participating in the discussion, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said paddy fields enjoy additional protection under the Goa (Restriction of Transfer of Agricultural Land) Act, 2023, which restricts the transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists to safeguard Goa’s agricultural heritage, ecology and food security.
“The introduction of the term ‘NDA’ in these notifications is ambiguous and appears to create a pathway to bypass the protections under the 2023 Act, potentially allowing non-agriculturists to purchase or develop these sensitive paddy fields,” Viegas said.
He warned that any reclassification would cause irreversible damage to agricultural land, water bodies, biodiversity, groundwater recharge and the traditional livelihoods of farmers, and would run contrary to the principles of environmental protection and sustainable development.
