A significant political dispute has erupted in Goa over allegations of massive and unchecked land conversion in the state's northern region. Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar, a coalition partner in the BJP-led government, made a startling claim on Wednesday, stating that 60 lakh square metres of land has been converted to settlement category in Pernem taluka since 2023. His statement immediately drew a sharp rebuttal from Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane, who labelled the figures "completely false."
The Allegations and the Immediate Denial
The controversy surfaced a day after large numbers of Goans gathered to protest against hill-cutting and forest diversion activities. Arolkar, representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), directed his accusations at specific amendments to the Goa TCP Act. He pinpointed Section 16B (2018), the zoning plan concept (2022), Section 17(2) (2023), and the "latest and most dangerous amendment," Section 39A (2024). According to the MLA, these provisions collectively facilitate selective, discretionary, and non-transparent zoning changes that primarily benefit private developers and land speculators, while harming agriculture, the environment, and public interest.
TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane was quick to counter. "Claims that 60 lakh sqm was converted are completely false," Rane asserted. He presented official department records, stating that only 21 cases were finally notified under Section 39A, covering just over 2.3 lakh sqm. Rane emphasized that provisional proposals do not equate to conversion, clarifying that the process involves legal scrutiny, objections, and final notification. He accused Arolkar of being misled by incorrect facts and urged legislators to ensure accuracy.
A History of Conversion in a Sensitive Taluka
Pernem, Goa's northernmost taluka, has long been a hotspot for land-use changes. The issue gained prominence in 2023 when the TCP department withdrew the taluka's zoning plan after reports revealed that 1.4 crore sqm, or 21% of the green cover, had been converted. Just last week, Minister Rane announced the cancellation of provisional permission for a zone change in Arambol, part of Pernem. This decision followed protests by residents of Varchawada against the proposed settlement conversion of over three lakh sqm of hilly, green land.
In his representation to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, MLA Arolkar maintained that properties owned by individuals from outside Goa, including Delhi, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, were being converted with "alarming speed" based solely on landowner applications. He alleged that even eco-sensitive areas, private forests, and no-development zones were not spared. The MLA demanded the immediate scrapping of Sections 17(2) and 39A, citing strong public opposition.
Broader Concerns: Dismantling the Regional Plan?
Arolkar framed the issue as a systematic undermining of Goa's democratically approved Regional Plan, which was formulated after extensive public consultation to protect the state's fragile ecology. He argued that because directly revising the plan would spark public resistance, the government has taken a "piecemeal and indirect approach" through successive TCP Act amendments to alter land-use zoning for individual properties.
He reserved particularly strong criticism for Section 17(2), which is meant for correcting "inadvertent errors." Arolkar claimed this provision is being misused to fundamentally dismantle the Regional Plan itself, allowing the TCP minister to alter the zoning of nearly six crore sqm of land by branding large-scale changes as mere mistakes. "By using this provision, zoning of lakhs of square metres was already changed," he alleged.
The MLA concluded with a powerful statement, declaring, "Goa is not for sale. Its land, ecology, and identity cannot be sacrificed for short-term gains and private profiteering." This clash between coalition partners underscores the intense pressure on Goa's land resources and the growing conflict between development agendas and environmental conservation in the coastal state.
