PANAJI
Why? Simply because in a single judgement, the commercial sale value of this land has dwindled to near zero as stringent law and rules governing forest land make commercial development next to impossible.
The impact is even greater, in terms of value, in the comparatively more urbanized coastal talukas of Bardez, Salcete and Tiswadi.
The nearly 23 years that the debate over the issue got prolonged with multiple litigations including in the Supreme Court since 1997, has also contributed to up the magnitude of the latent financial backlash the NGT judgement has meant to individual owners of this approximately 46-plus square kilometres of wooded land.
Some leeway for commercial exploitation of 'forest' land is indeed permitted under the law. Like setting up eco-tourism projects or theme parks such as butterfly parks and spice gardens.
However, the clichéd development model pursued for decades in Goa -- converting the land's zoning through the Town and Country Planning laws and then build residential/commercial projects -- will now be a strict no-no in these private lands under forest law.
Already voices are being raised in favour of private forest land owners in Goa's political arena.
South Goa MP, Francisco Sardinha was among the first to suggest government intervention to cushion the negative financial impact the NGT order will have on the individual private forest land owners.
Sardinha, a former chief minister who headed a 11-month-long government at the turn of the century in 1999-2000, did alter the course of this private forest demarcation process. He has stopped short of opposing the NGT judgement per se and has voiced the demand that the State government acquire the land and compensate the owners with a mean pre and post judgement land price.
In terms of sheer 'market value', the NGT judgement, according to one estimate, has shrunk the value of these lands it has in effect demarcated as 'forests' by nearly Rs 2000 crore in urbanised Tiswadi taluka alone.
Another proposition that could come to the table for discussion is the one mooted by former Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sardesai of dishing out 'Transfer of Development rights' to the affected land owners.
The issue dates back to 1996-97 when the then State government appointed the Sawnat committee followed by the Karapurkar committee (both experts), to identify private forests following a Supreme Court direction.
Since then the process has followed a dodgy path in and out of courts. Two more committees were formed and incongruencies between their reports and those of Sawant and Karapurkar, was the crux of the legal battle launched by environmental NGO Goa Foundation, until last week's judgement of the NGT.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, meanwhile, has indicated without so much as elaborating how, that his government could challenge certain aspects of the NGT judgement after studying it.
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HOW IT WILL AFFECT
* Commercial sale value of land has dwindled to near zero
* Stringent law & rules governing forest land make commercial development next to impossible
* Impact greater in terms of value in Bardez, Salcete & Tiswadi
* Converting land's zoning through TCP laws and then build residential/commercial projects will not be possible
* In Tiswadi alone, 'market value' of these lands has shrunk by nearly Rs 2000 crore
