Porvorim: Six opposition MLAs, led by opposition leader Yuri Alemao, rushed into the well of the House on Monday morning soon after the assembly session began, protesting speaker Ganesh Gaonkar’s decision to disallow a question on no-development areas and no-development zones. Even after the speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes, the protest resumed when proceedings restarted, prompting marshals to escort Alemao and St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar out.Alemao raised the issue during Question Hour, asking why Question 4B — on the declaration and interpretation of ‘no-development area’ under Section 39A of the Regional Plan — had been rejected.“The question was raised by six MLAs, including (Aldona MLA) Carlos Ferreira, (Velim MLA) Cruz Vilva, Viresh Borkar, (Quepem MLA) Altone D’Costa, (Benaulim MLA) Venzy Veigas, and I. We had asked for the definition of a no-development area. You ruled that it is trivial and meaningless. Is this meaningless? On what grounds are you disallowing it? Six legislators have raised it,” Alemao said, urging that the question be allowed on the last day of the assembly.The speaker ruled that while the members’ intent to seek information through a starred question was honest, the matter was sub-judice before Bombay high court following a petition filed by the Goa Foundation.Unhappy with the ruling, the legislators who had submitted the question rushed to the well of the House, shouting slogans such as “Shame, shame,” and “Dadagiri bandh karein (stop this high-handedness)”.Through the question, the MLAs had sought village-wise details of no-development areas across Goa, including survey numbers, talukas, and the areas involved. They also sought information on cases where conversion proposals had been cleared, along with property-wise survey numbers, technical clearances, and conversion approvals granted.The speaker told the protesting MLAs that the questions had been disallowed as they violated the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the House. He also said he could not allow a question that had already been disallowed during the session.The legislators refused to leave the well and return to their seats, after which Alemao and Borkar were marshalled out. The House then resumed proceedings.
