PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a writ petition challenging the assessment of processing fees under the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act. The Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Ashish Chavan noted that timely action by the Finance Department helped prevent a major financial loss to the State.
The HC clarified that disciplinary action against Chief Town Planner Rajesh Naik, who has been suspended pending a departmental inquiry, will be decided by the State Government. It observed that Finance Department’s intervention corrected TCP Department’s earlier interpretation of the fee structure and prevented a large loss. The department has since clarified fee rates and taken corrective steps to avoid recurrence.
The order stated that 47 cases were reassessed after Finance Department clarifications. Of these, 40 assessees paid the deficit fees, while permissions in the remaining cases were recalled. The petitioners alleged that Naik wrongly charged Rs 200 per square metre instead of Rs 1,000 for certain land categories, causing a loss of Rs 7.6 crore to the State. They also claimed that the earlier assessments were unconstitutional and sought recovery of the deficit and disciplinary action against Naik.
The petition noted that although the government revised processing fees on March 28, 2024, Naik allegedly continued applying the old rates. The Court appreciated the corrective measures by the Finance and TCP departments to reassess fees and protect public funds.
