Members of the Save Old Goa Action Committee alleged that preliminary work had resumed on the 50,000 sq mt property despite earlier resolutions disallowing development.
“Those working on the site claim it is agricultural activity, but we will continue to keep vigil,” said Committee member Peter Viegas.
The controversy stems from TCP clearances granted back in 2024 for three ground plus one farmhouses, each reportedly with 15 rooms and front yard “cattle bathing ponds” suspected to be disguised swimming pools.
Viegas argued that the approvals violate planning norms, as the land is zoned Orchard under the Regional Plan and lies within the buffer zone of the Monte Chapel, a notified State Archaeological monument.
Last week, the Committee had announced Sunday’s protest and warned that the farmhouse plans are in the names of individuals from Rajasthan and Delhi and lacked concurrence from the Archives and Archaeology department.
The fresh row comes even as the earlier bungalow controversy in the same precinct remains unresolved. That plush ground plus one structure, once linked to BJP leader N C Shaina, was alleged to be illegally built near UNESCO notified monuments. The matter is still entangled in quasi judicial proceedings, leaving the bungalow in freeze mode.
With the Save Old Goa Action Committee mobilising again, the stage is set for another confrontation between citizens and the State over Goa’s most treasured heritage landscape.
