PANAJI
St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar on Saturday vowed to intensify the campaign against Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act soon after being discharged from a private hospital in Panaji, where he was admitted following health complications arising from his fast unto death protest.
Speaking to the media outside the hospital, Borkar dismissed speculation that his illness had weakened his resolve.
“Political opponents may have thought I am exhausted, but I will now enter the political field with full force and resume the fight against Section 39A with renewed vigor,” he declared.
The Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) legislator accused the government of using Section 39A to facilitate largescale land conversions, which he described as “illegal” and detrimental to Goa’s environment and local communities.
“It is our highest duty to protect the lands of Goa. By using Section 39A, the government is degrading the environment and trying to grab the lands of locals. This has put the very existence of Goa at risk,” he said.
Borkar noted: “The fight against 39A will now intensify. People have become more aware, and if other MLAs do not support it, the people themselves will hold them accountable,” he warned.
Borkar further alleged corruption in the implementation of Section 39A, insisting that the struggle was not politically motivated but rooted in safeguarding Goa’s soil for future generations.
He reiterated that the agitation would continue regardless of whether the Assembly repeals the provision.
Separately in an interview to a local channel, the St Andre MLA made it clear that the agitation against Section 39A of the TCP Act will not be called off unless the government agrees to scrap the provision entirely.
“If the government does not listen to us and scrap Section 39A of the TCP Act, we will not stop our agitation. We will intensify our protest even further. No matter how much the government tries to suppress us, we will not back out. This is a fight for Goa,” he asserted.
Borkar urged Goans to directly question their respective MLAs on whether they support the repeal of Section 39A, stressing that accountability must come from elected representatives.
Borkar's renewed offensive sets the stage for heightened confrontation between the government and civil society groups, with Section 39A emerging as a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over development and environmental preservation.
