With anger mounting in civil society across the state over rampant hill cutting and attendant environmental butchering, in particular by Bhutani Infra and DLF at Sancoale and Reis Magos respectively, the TCP mantri has promised to review the permissions granted to the two real estate behemoths. Rane has shifted the blame on to the TCP officials and the forest department and tasked them with 'verifying' the allegations regarding the projects and examining whether the approval terms have been violated. Bhutani Infra is building luxury high rises with ticket prices ranging from Rs1 crore to Rs12 crore while DLF is building uberluxury villas in the Rs 40-50 crore range on a 38-acre hill overlooking the historic fort. It is pertinent to note that the mantri has also issued a clean chit recently to the chief secretary, Goa against fraudulent conversion and subsequent purchase of land by the latter in Aldona. Opposition leaders who were demanding a judicial enquiry into the matter were lathi charged. It is as clear as day that there exists a criminal nexus between bigwigs in the government to sell Goa to the highest bidder with complete disregard for extant laws.
