GUILHERME ALMEIDA MARGAO
Former Goa Housing Board (GHB) Chairman Nilkant Halarnkar and Elvis Gomes might have found themselves in the dock on the decision to drop the Board s proposal to acquire land admeasuring 30256 sq. mts to implement housing scheme at Arlem-Agalli during the Congress regime. Inquiries have revealed that the GHB s housing scheme proposal, which was revived by the present ruling dispensation around mid-2013, too did not find favour with the South Goa Planning and Development Authority headed by then SGPDA Chairman and BJP MLA Rajan Naik. In fact, the SGPDA had refused to grant the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Goa Housing Board to acquire the land admeasuring 30256 sq mts to implement the housing scheme at Arlem-Agalli after members had expressed their reservations to the GHB proposal in view of the zone of the property. SGPDA members cutting across party affiliations, sources said, had expressed reservations to the GHB proposal and eventually did not give their stamp of approval for acquisition of the land.A glance at the minutes of the 50th meeting of the SGPDA chaired Rajan Naik on July 23, 2013 revealed that it had come to light that the plot under reference has been earmarked as Commercial C2 zone and is affected by a 10-mt wide road looped within the plot. “It was brought to the notice of the members that the Authority had earlier granted the development permission dated July 13, 2011 in favour of Marcus Farm Pvt Ltd for construction of residential units and that the Authority had also granted completion order dated September 12, 2012. It was also informed to the Authority that the zone of the property under reference was changed from Settlement S1 zone to commercial C2 zone in the finally notified ODP”, the meeting minutes stated. Incidentally, the minutes showed that MLA Vijai Sardesai objected to the proposal and informed the members that the earlier proposal of acquisition of the same area was dropped once, even as other members also expressed their reservations in view of the zone of the property. The minutes further read, “Accordingly, it was resolved to communicate these observations of the Authority to the Town and Country Planning department for necessary final decision at their end as regards to the grant of NOC”. When The Goan contacted then SGPDA Chairman, MLA Rajan Naik to shed light on the PDA decision not to grant NOC to the GHB proposal, he could not recollect exactly what made the PDA turn down the GHB request for NOC for land acquisition. Instead, he requested to contact then SGPDA member and BJP leader Rupesh Mahatme for details. Incidentally, Mahatme told The Goan that the GHB re quest for NOC did not find favour with the PDA members on grounds that the property which was sought to be acquired was owned by a private party, adding that the property in question was already in commercial C2 zone. When The Goan contacted Sardesai to comment on why he had objected to the grant of NOC for the GHB proposal, he said the proposal was rejected by the SGPDA as it was felt by all members of the Authority that acquisition of private land for such government projects was not right and also unjust to the land owners. “A consistent stand had been taken by the Authority, including members owing allegiance to the ruling BJP, even in the case of land at Ponda which was proposed to be acquired for sewerage project work. It was also seen as illogical that commercially zoned land should be acquired to set up a housing board project”, he added. PDA member, MLA Digambar Kamat, who had attended the SPGDA s 50th meeting on July 23, three years ago, also echoed similar sentiments, saying the PDA had taken a decision in principle not to grant NOCs for acquisition of settlement or agricultural land.
