Panaji: Almost over a year after the state cabinet decided to denotify 3.3 lakh sqm of command area of the Tillari irrigation project in Dhargalim for a casino firm, WRD minister Subhash Shirodkar said on Tuesday that govt would not denotify it.“We have received a proposal from Delta at Dhargalim. We have not denotifed it and we will not denotify it. We have to reduce the speed of granting permissions to big projects. I will not say that we should completely ban big projects as we have to continue with development, but not at the cost of our people,” said Shirodkar.The cabinet had decided to denotify the land contrary to the Goa state Amritkal agriculture policy, 2025. .The proposed project comprises three hotels, a convention centre, a multiplex, a retail area, a water park, banquet facilities, and a children’s entertainment area, among others. State govt also waived off Rs 5.5 crore sought by the water resource department as notional.Last year, a proposal was moved by the Goa investment promotion and facilitation board (Goa IPB) at the cabinet for the denotification of the area to pave the way for Delta Corporation to set up an “integrated resort development project”.The Tillari irrigation project is an interstate project taken up at a cost of Rs 1,465 crore to irrigate a command area of 14,521ha in Goa. The dam is located in Maharashtra, and the canals are constructed in Maharashtra and Goa. Water from the dam is conveyed for irrigation and drinking purposes through two canals, namely the left bank main canal (LBMC) and the right bank main canal (RBMC).The LBMC supplies water to an area of 10,267ha, which is spread across the talukas of Bicholim and Bardez, while the RBMC irrigates an area of 4,254ha, which is spread across Pernem taluka.Govt has notified 14,521ha of land under the command area development and water resources management programme of the Tillari irrigation project, under Section 17 of the Goa Command Area Development Act, 1997, and rules, 1999.In 2022, the state cabinet resolved to declare 3.8 lakh sqm in Pernem as investment for Delta Corp Ltd without consulting the WRD, nor were inputs sought.On April 17, 2023, the Goa IPB issued a conversion sanad for an area of 3.3 lakh sqm, and an area measuring 40,000sqm was excluded from the conversion sanad. Fees amounting to Rs 28 crore were paid by Delta Corp.On May 9, 2023, Goa IPB declared a proposal of Delta Corp as an investment promotion area for setting up an integrated resort development project.On Feb 9, 2024, the Goa IPB issued a construction licence to Delta Corp for setting up the development with a construction fee of over Rs 10 crore for a final area of 3.3sqm.The IPB Goa had submitted a proposal to the water resources department to denotify the land parcel from the command area.The Goa IPB had permitted the conversion of land under the Goa Land Revenue Code and also granted technical clearance under town and country planning regulations. This was permitted only upon the applicant paying an amount of Rs 28 crore towards the conversion fees.
