Demands cancellation of large-scale land conversions
PANAJI
Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Ferdino Rebello, has launched a scathing attack on the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, alleging misuse of the Goa Land Use (Regulation) Act to permit large-scale land conversions.
Addressing a press conference in Porvorim to spread awareness of the 'Enough is Enough' movement he has ignited, Rebello demanded immediate cancellation of such conversions while allowing scope for Goans the freedom to expand their homes for genuine reasons.
Rebello argued that despite the Goa Land Use Act of 1991 prohibiting conversion of agricultural land, loopholes have been created through TCP provisions -- particularly Sections 17(2) and 39(a) -- which are indiscriminately being exploited to benefit developers.
“The people’s representatives have betrayed Goa by amending laws against the spirit of farmland protection,” he said.
Section 17(2), which allows TCP to change zoning without public consultation, was quashed by the High Court. Rebello insisted it should be amended in line with the court’s ruling rather than repealed.
He further criticized Section 39(a), introduced after the repeal of Section 16B, for enabling wholesale conversion of farmland into settlements by paying a fee.
“The TCP board wants to change the entire regional plan under this section,” he said, warning that sensitive areas such as slopes, low-lying farmland, and coastal regulation zones remain vulnerable.
According to data presented, as of December 31, 2025, 342 properties had been converted under the section 17(2), with details available for 244, covering 2,40,577 sq. m. By January 22, 2025, 199 more properties were proposed for conversion under Section 39(a), with 170 objections lodged. The proposed area amounts to 17,26,902 sq. mts.
Rebello reminded that past governments had enacted strong safeguards, including amendments to the Code of Communidades, which prohibited non-agricultural use of community lands.
However, subsequent amendments -- such as the Goa Agricultural Land Transfer Restriction Act, 2023 -- have diluted protections by permitting TCP-approved plans if farmland is not actively used for agriculture, he alleged.
Social activist Swapnesh Sherlekar, former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes, and Francis Coelho joined Rebello at the press conference where Rebello emphasized that while individual Goans should be allowed to expand their homes, large-scale conversions which threaten Goa’s agrarian heritage and ecological balance need to be banned.
“The Enough is Enough movement is about protecting Goa’s future,” Rebello declared, urging citizens to resist developer-driven changes to the regional plan and hold lawmakers accountable.
