Delta Corp’s Dhargal project faces political flak over land misuse

MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that the State government had not allotted land to M/s Delta Corp Ltd for its proposed resort project at Dhargal, which is currently under judicial scrutiny.

He said the project, approved by the Goa Investment Promotion Board (IPB), would be permitted only after obtaining clearance from the Command Area Development Authority (CADA).

Sawant said that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the hospitality project is pending before the High Court, adding a legal dimension to the ongoing controversy.

While clarifying the government’s position, Sawant stated that the land was not government-owned and had been directly acquired by Delta Corp from a private entity.

This was reaffirmed by IPB CEO Asvin Chandru (IAS), who also said that the project had followed due administrative procedures.

According to Chandru, the land in question had been converted from orchard to commercial zone by the Planning Development and Construction Committee (PDCC) under Section 43 of the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation of Single Window Clearance Act, 2021.

The conversion sanad, technical clearance and construction licence had already been issued.

The IPB had subsequently granted approval based on PDCC’s recommendations and collected infrastructure tax, construction licence fees, conversion charges, and labour cess, amounting to Rs 59.21 crore.

Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar informed the House that the CADA Board would meet before August 15 to review several pending proposals, including Delta Corp’s application concerning 3.3 lakh square metres of land.

He said the board would take a final decision after due deliberation.

However, the project came under strong criticism from the Opposition.

Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao alleged that 33 hectares of land falling under the Tillari Irrigation Project’s command area had been illegally or arbitrarily denotified for Delta Corp’s benefit.

He accused the government of procedural violations, saying that the CADA board and other relevant departments were not consulted before the denotification.

Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa said that while there was no objection to hospitality ventures, converting CADA land for casino-related activities was unacceptable.

Echoing similar concerns, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas questioned the change of land use.

In response, the Chief Minister clarified that paddy fields cannot be converted under government policy. “The said land was not classified as paddy or agricultural land,” Sawant stated.

The controversy has now put the spotlight on land-use decisions in investment promotion areas, especially those falling under irrigation projects, raising larger questions on transparency and procedural compliance in land conversions.