Graded penalty system introduced as State expands No Development Zones to protect sensitive areas
PANAJI
In a major move aimed at curbing environmental degradation, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Board has decided to impose hefty penalties of up to Rs 1 crore on individuals and entities found involved in illegal hill cutting across the State.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the TCP Board chaired by Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday. The Board resolved to introduce a graded penalty system under which violators will face a fine of Rs 50 lakh for the first offence, Rs 75 lakh for the second offence and Rs 1 crore for a third violation.
Rane said the government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards activities that damage Goa’s fragile ecology and landscape.
“Action under the TCP Act will be initiated from the very first offence itself. The fines are intended to act as a strong deterrent against illegal hill cutting, which has become a serious environmental concern in several parts of the State,” he said.
The minister said flying squads of the TCP Department are already carrying out inspections and enforcement drives against violations. He appealed to citizens to actively participate in protecting the environment by reporting instances of hill cutting and other illegal land-alteration activities to the authorities.
Rane said the State government is committed to taking stringent action against those responsible for environmental destruction and unregulated development.
Highlighting broader conservation efforts, the minister said the TCP Department has been steadily notifying ecologically sensitive areas as No Development Zones (NDZs) to safeguard natural habitats and prevent indiscriminate construction.
According to Rane, the department has so far proposed more than three crore square metres of land under the NDZ framework across the talukas of Pernem, Bardez, Tiswadi, Bicholim, Salcete, Sattari and Mormugao.
