Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday directed town and country planning minister Vishwajit Rane to revoke land conversion of over 80,000 sqm in Maulinguem, under Section 39A of the TCP Act. Sawant said that the order would be issued on Thursday.The CM’s direction is likely to boost the confidence of agitators who have been demanding the scrapping of Section 39A, under which massive land conversion has been taking place.Sawant hit out at the TCP department, saying that the land converted in Maulinguem is a valley. “With regard to land conversion under Section 39A in Bicholim taluka, I have spoken to the minister and told him that it cannot happen,” he said, adding that he wasn’t aware if the TCP department has examined the land. “I have told the minister to withdraw even provisional permission for the conversion of land,” said Sawant.Within hours of Sawant’s statement, the TCP department rescinded the decision to convert the large land parcel at Maulinguem, Bicholim. The TCP department had notified the change of zone for the plot of land, which includes a mix of settlement area, natural cover, and no development slope (NDS) on March 20.Terming the permissions granted for change of zone illegal, retired Allahabad high court chief justice Ferdino Rebello called upon the chief town planner (planning) and the town and country planning board to re-examine all pending applications under Section 39A until the provision is repealed.Following the insertion of Section 39A, 423 applications were filed seeking conversion of 31,54,258sqm of land. Of these, final notifications were issued for 163 applications covering over 12.7lakh sqm, said Rebello.Last month, St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar decided to end his hunger strike after state govt handed over an order issued by the TCP department stating that provisional and final land conversions under Section 39A of the TCP Act in St Andre constituency were suspended with immediate effect.Mandrem MGP MLA Jit Arolkar, a coalition partner of the BJP-led state govt, said that since 2023, 60 lakh sqm of land were converted to settlement in Pernem taluka. His statement—which was met with strong objection from Rane—came a day after Goans gathered in large numbers to halt hill-cutting and forest diversion.Over the years, Pernem—Goa’s northern-most taluka—has turned into a hotspot for land conversion. In 2023, the TCP department withdrew the zoning plan for the taluka after TOI highlighted how 1.4 crore sqm, or 21% of green cover, was converted.Rane cancelled the provisional permission granted for a change of zone in Arambol. His statement came after residents of Varchawada, located at the foot of the Bhatwadi hills in Arambol, launched a protest against the change of zone to settlement of over 3 lakh sqm of land covering the hills. The entire land area comprises green cover.
