THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
A group of citizens from Mandrem, Pernem and Morjim have filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Bombay at Goa challenging multiple zoning changes made under Section 17(2) of the Goa Town & Country Planning Act, 1974.
The petitioners have specifically challenged permissions granted through notifications issued between March and October 2024, affecting several survey numbers in Chopdem village, Pernem.
The High Court has granted an interim stay while adjourning the matter after six weeks.
It stated that these notifications, published in the Official Gazette, altered land use designations, allegedly converting eco-sensitive and non-developable areas into settlement zones. The PIL alleged these changes have been carried out arbitrarily, without public consultation or proper government approvals and in violation of Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.
“These modifications have led to a 130 percent increase in settlement areas in the village within eight months, covering approximately 3,69,480 square meters…. Such large-scale alterations effectively render the Regional Plan 2021 obsolete, undermining sustainable development principles,” the petitioners argued while also raising concerns about environmental degradation.
They also pointed to leopard sightings in the village stating that converting the natural cover and eco-sensitive zones of the village into settlement will be further detrimental to the near-extinct wildcat which is a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
“The approvals under Section 17 (2) on the ground of inconsistent/incoherent zoning is based on fabrication of facts and regulations…. these Notifications have been made under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act without the Government approvals. The changes in zones have been made entirely for private interest. The changes made to zoning under Section 17 (2) of the TCP Act basically enable rampant changes in zones by literally allowing a change in zone with “sale of zones” and enabling private landholders to go shopping for zones. The entire process appears to be based on “one pays and gets the desired zones,” it said.
