TCP Dept invites public objections as ecologically sensitive land in Calapur and Ella is marked for development restrictions
PANAJI
The State government has proposed declaring over 4.39 lakh square metres of land in Tiswadi taluka as a ‘No Development Zone’ (NDZ), restricting construction and development in ecologically sensitive areas under the Regional Plan (RP) 2021.
The proposal follows the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department’s earlier move this month to mark 82.84 lakh sq mtrs of land in Sattari, Pernem, Mormugao and Salcete as NDZ. Another 10 lakh sq mtrs had also been notified in Pernem last month.
According to proposals approved by the TCP Board during its 232nd meeting on May 5, chaired by TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane, the largest area identified in Tiswadi is at Calapur, covering nearly 3,37,058 sq mtrs. The Calapur land includes salt pans, mangroves, orchards, paddy fields and areas with water bodies, all identified as ecologically sensitive. In Ella village, another 1,02,500 sq mtrs has been proposed as NDZ. The land includes settled areas, orchards and sections affected by institutional areas and the Archaeological Park under RP 2021.
The TCP Department has invited public objections and suggestions within 30 days of the notification. Meanwhile, the department has also proposed conversion of over 63,500 sq mtrs of land across Bardez, Salcete, Tiswadi and Mormugao under Section 39A notifications, with Bardez accounting for the largest share. The biggest proposal is in Tivim, Bardez, where a private firm has sought conversion of 52,858 sq mtrs of cultivable and irrigation command land into settlement zone, subject to approval from Water Resources Department.
Another proposal in Socorro, Bardez, involves converting two adjoining plots measuring 6,010 sq mtrs from natural cover to settlement zone, pending Forest Department clearance. In Tiswadi, over 2,150 sq mtrs at Old Goa, currently marked as an institutional zone, has been proposed for conversion into settlement zone. At Colva in Salcete, conversion of a 1,058 sq mtr orchard plot into settlement zone has also been recommended, despite the land being affected by an existing road alignment.
