Days after The Indian Express reported that two Goa ministers, politicians cutting across party lines and several real estate companies in the state are alleged beneficiaries of a contentious change in land use law, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday said the state government “is aware of the importance of preserving the state's natural resources, particularly its land resources and biodiversity”. He also listed six “proactive measures” that have been introduced “to ensure the protection and sustainable management of these critical assets”. As reported by The Indian Express on September 9, the state’s Town and Country Planning department approved change in land use for at least 20 lakh sq m of land over the past 18 months, converting “green zones” into “settlements” — allowing construction activity for both residential and commercial purposes, pushing up the land’s value manifold. The changes were allowed after a March 2023 amendment [section 17 (2)] to the Goa Town and Country Planning Act 1974. Records show that one beneficiary is a firm that has TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane and his spouse as directors; Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira is also a beneficiary. The Chief Minister’s Office did not respond to a query by The Indian Express on whether there has been a rethink on the amendment. In a post on X, Sawant said his government has enacted The Goa Restriction on Transfer of Agricultural Land Act, which aims to prevent misuse and restrict non-agricultural activities on farmland. He said the conversion charges have been increased to discourage the conversion of all land types to maintain green cover. “Charges for changing land use have been increased from Rs 200 per square meter to Rs 1,000 per square meter. However, the previous rates have been retained for land parcels up to 500 square meters, providing relief to the general public,” he wrote. The Chief Minister said the government has also constituted a committee to study landslides and propose restoration measures in the state. “In addition, Goa Biodiversity Board has been taken up. Notification of Biodiversity Heritage Sites, Wetland Conservation, State Action Plan for Climate Change, Village-level People's Biodiversity Register are some of the measures taken for protecting Goa’s landscape,” he said, adding that the government would continue to bring in measures to ensure preservation of Goa’s natural heritage for future generations. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar said, “This is all a farce. If the government is ‘aware’ about preserving the state’s natural resources, why have they brought these amendments, which are facilitating a back-door entry for the real estate players to change the land use pattern to destroy its biodiversity? If you want to preserve, then scrap these amendments and bring a proper regional plan for the state.” “Land is a scarce resource in Goa. Why is the Chief Minister not talking about the amendment [section 17 (2)] through which the land use pattern is being changed? Why is he silent on rampant hill cutting across the state?” Patkar asked. Aam Aadmi Party’s Goa chief Amit Palekar said the measures are an “eyewash”. “Increasing the conversion charges for changing land use is not going to dissuade people from purchasing land and applying for conversion. A majority of those applying for land conversions are not from Goa and they are willing to throw money for changing land zoning,” Palekar said. “This will only create problems for locals of Goa. All this is an eyewash. Several Bills that were proposed in the recent assembly session also sought to bypass existing laws for illegal land conversions to favour the real estate lobbies. This will have an adverse impact on Goa’s environment and natural resources.”
