Daily Briefing: A battle for Goa’s land; ‘Non-Hindu’ warnings triggers fear in Rudraprayag; and more

Land in Goa has long been a battleground between development and environmental protection. Our exclusive investigation reveals that at least two state ministers, various politicians, and several real-estate companies are allegedly benefiting from a controversial amendment to the state land use law that threatens ‘green zones.’

What this means: Over the past 18 months, Goa’s Town and Country Planning department has approved changes in land use, reclassifying “green zones” as “settlements.” As a result, areas previously designated as green zones, including paddy fields and no-development zones, can now be used for both residential and commercial construction.

Nub of the issue: These changes were allowed due to an amendment to the Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act of 1974, which allows. the department to convert plots without public consultation if the owner asks to fix what they call “inadvertent errors.” The main issue is the lack of public scrutiny and who decides what qualifies as an “inadvertent error.”

Who has benefitted? The changes have benefitted TCP and Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane (and his spouse) besides Environment and Law minister Aleixo Sequeira. As it turns out, these are key departments responsible for overseeing the changes. Telugu actor Ram Charan has also been mentioned as one of the first applicants to request a zoning change from orchard to settlement.

Dive deeper: As the land controversy in Goa intensifies, we explain the process for “correction” under the TCP Act and why there is a push to change land use from ‘green zone’ to ‘settlement.’

👉Only in Express

In this week’s Idea Exchange, Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Greenon discusses the Indo-Pacific region, the economic ties between India and Australia, and efforts to strengthen their defence and security partnership. Greenon has been instrumental in shaping and implementing the Australian Government’s Indo-Pacific strategy and that of Quad grouping in its early years.

📰From the Front Page

I’m out: The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal is under fire for its handling of the Kolkata RG Kar rape-murder case. On Sunday, that escalated further when Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar resigned from Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress party, citing the government’s “faulty handling of the most spontaneous public movement” as his reason for doing so. Upon his resignation, Sircar spoke to Indian Express to discuss his future plans.

For years, the villages of Rudraprayag, a key stop along the Kedarnath Yatra, saw communities working together peacefully, with their livelihoods tied to the pilgrimage season in Uttarakhand. However, some ominous signboards, set up by local pro-Hindutva outfits, began issuing warnings to non-Hindus, Rohingya Muslims, and hawkers. What did these signboards say, and how did they escalate tensions? We explain.

Must Read

“40 saal baad kum se kum system ko hamari yaad to aayi..” (40 years later, at least the system remembers us)

In 2007, when the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a closure report against Congress’ Jagdish Tytler for his alleged role in the deaths of three Sikh men during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, multiple persons moved protest petitions. The trial court said it would only accept one plea from the victims’ family members, and as luck would have it, only one kin of the three victims could be traced. Lakhwinder Kaur, wife of Badal Singh, was found in less than 24 hours that summer. Now, despite being named as a “key conspirator” before multiple panels of enquiry, Tytler will face murder charges in court for the first time.

In her latest column, Neerja Chowdhury zooms in on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s cryptic statement, being seen as a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observing that “neither the BJP nor the Sangh can do without each other.”

‘AI arms control’: As the world’s militaries get accustomed to artificial intelligence, a window to regulate its use in warfare is opening up. With ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza emerging as “AI labs” for warfare, we see a diplomatic push to establish some general norms on how to limit the dangers of AI’s military use. And as new global frameworks for ‘AI arms control’ emerge, Delhi must shape these processes rather than stay away from them, explains C Raja Mohan.

➡️ And Finally…

Comeback party: Two familiar faces and power-packed performers return to play for the Indian cricket team this season. Nearly 21 months after suffering a horrific car crash, Rishabh Pant has been included in India’s Test squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. Besides Pant, KL Rahul is also set to make a return.

Delhi Confidential: Amid unprecedented torrential rain and floods in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is personally supervising the relief measures in the districts. He is stationed in a flood-hit region, wading through the water and riding on boats to reach affected people. Political observers say the flood is a wake-up call for Naidu who has been projecting Amaravati as the state’s capital.

🎧 In the newest episode of our 3 Things podcast, Indian Express’ Varinder Bhatia, Asad Rehman, and Liz Mathew tell us why the BJP finds itself in disarray in Haryana, and what the entry of Vinesh and Bajrang means for the Congress.

Until next time,

Ayesha Jain and Aradhana Kalia

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