In response to a directive from the High Court, the Department of Urban Development (Municipal Administration) at the end of March 2025 ordered all municipalities in Goa to take immediate action against illegal constructions. However, it is strange that now, four months after the respective High Court Order, a similar directive has not yet come from the Panchayat Ministry. I filed an RTI (dated 20th May 2025) asking for information on all illegal/unauthorised constructions on Communidade lands under Colva Panchayat jurisdiction. I received a response 56 days later from the Public Information Officer - PIO (Secretary) with a summary response: “Not available in Panchayat records.” Does it mean that there are no illegal constructions on Communidade lands in Colva? The latter appears to be an ambiguous response from the PIO. I wonder how other village panchayats would have responded to my RTI query. I request the Panchayat Ministry to please ensure all panchayats act in accordance with the High Court’s expectations in addressing illegal constructions.
