PANAJI
For several years now villages in Goa have witnessed residents raising the issue of influx of migrant population and demanding that processes for granting development and construction permissions take into account the pressure it will exert on existing natural resources and infrastructure.
With the State witnessing rapid real estate expansion in recent years — particularly in villages — these voices have grown in number and got louder, sparking urgent debates around sustainability, stress on infrastructure, and the need for a more stringent regulatory oversight.
Luxury villas, mega residential colonies and hotels are springing up here, there and everywhere fuelled by a rising demand for second homes from rich Indians. It is in this backdrop that in several villages, citizens are discussing at gram sabhas the need for 'carrying capacity' to become a critical lens through which statutory licencing authorities evaluate projects and grant permissions for future development.
Grassroots demands:
Nuvem and beyond
Nuvem in Salcete taluka was among the first to voice urgency of the issue. Several other villages including Betalbatim in the same taluka and elsewhere in the State have followed suit.
In Nuvem, the gram sabha formally demanded a carrying capacity study, citing rising construction activity and illegal projects.
Locals residents voiced concerns about second-home buyers, saying their village does not have the kind of "carrying capacity" needed to support the influx of people. Water shortages and the panchayat’s ability to manage the pressure on natural resources and basic infrastructure were raised.
So intense was the debate that Nuvem Sarpanch Freda D’Sa had no option but to assure the villagers in attendance that their concerns would be examined and posed before the government.
Similar scenarios have since emerged at gram sabhas of villages across Goa.
Govt response,
legislative push
The issue even echoed in discussion during the recent monsoon session of the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho acknowledged that no carrying capacity studies are conducted either by the Panchayat Department or the Town and Country Planning Department before granting permissions.
Godinho while responding the questions on the matter raised by legislators, admitted that panchayats lack the wherewithal to assess carrying capacity and emphasized the need for an inter-departmental consultation involving the Town and Country Planning Department, Transport Department and the various Planning and Development Authorities before the government can take any definitive action on the matter.
"Government will work on a mechanism where we can perhaps consider guidelines for panchayats on what permissions can be given or not given according to carrying capacity or the number of people living in the village," Godinho had said in the House.
He defended, without elaborating though, the current regime where panchayats have a limited role in granting approvals.
Nonetheless, Godinho suggested that broader coordination is essential to prevent haphazard development.
Oppn MLAs raise concerns
During the discussions, almost every legislator from the Opposition side raised concern over the current state of affairs where real estate development, particularly in villages, is exerting immense pressure on Goa's natural resources, including water, electricity, and waste management capacities.
The Transport Department was slammed for its failure to assess the impact of increased vehicular movement in villages with the huge influx.
Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares-Ferreira and Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai. were particularly vociferous in demanding that the government consider giving weightage to 'carrying capacities' while permitting real estate projects in villages.
Several other Opposition legislators also called for formal carrying capacity studies before granting permissions, especially to large residential or commercial projects exceeding 30 units.
Natural resources, ecology
Unarguably, water, power, sewerage, and waste management systems are unable to keep pace with development in most villages.
A major concern has been the impact on the ecology and the environmental degradation which will follow if authorities fail to assess carrying capacities before permitting more housing development in the village.
At the gram sabhas across several villages, participants have argued that fragile ecosystems are threatened by the unchecked construction activity.
Governance gaps
Panchayats which ultimately issue the completion and occupancy certificates to housing projects in villages are lacking in tools and authority to assess carrying capacity and accordingly regulate the quantum of real estate development in their jurisdictions.
Another major concern expressed by people residing in the villages at gram sabhas is the implications for the demography of the place.
Cultural displacement which will occur they fear will disrupt traditional village life with transient populations entering following the luxury housing projects coming up there.
Demand for village-level
studies
Conducting village-level carrying capacity studies which will take into account demographic, ecological, and infrastructure assessments is one common demand being voiced at gram sabhas across the State.
And, going by the tone of Godinho's interjections during the discussions in the Assembly, it appears that the State government is veering towards accepting the proposition.
However, like has been the case in the past, many fear that the government may outsource the task to a consultant and the village carrying capacity studies may end up as a mere academic exercise. Instead, the exercise should be a bottom-up exercise with active participation of the residents, they argue.
Developing regulations
Doing studies alone will not help the cause of Goa's villages and cities in absorbing the pressure of large-scale construction and real estate development which Goa is currently witnessing. Developing regulations which link construction approvals to population thresholds and availability of resources locally, would be crucial.
Empowering panchayats by providing them technical support and legal authority to regulate development will also be another crucial element of reforms needed to ensure development conforms with carrying capacities of cities and villages in the State.
The seeming convergence of political will, legislative scrutiny, and grassroots activism has presented a timely opportunity to go in for reforms.
Carrying capacity studies must not be mere academic and bureaucratic exercises. They need to be a blueprint for preserving Goa’s identity, livability, and sustainability.
Is the government willing to bite the bullet? Time will tell.
