Panaji: In the Unity Mall project matter, the Court of the Principal District Judge, North Goa, observed that even if all necessary permissions had been obtained by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), construction could not be permitted as the order to issue the construction licence was obtained from the Block Development Officer (BDO), an authority which was not competent to decide the appeal.
The court said that the department would have to follow the proper procedure required challenging the panchayat’s rejection order rejecting the application for construction licence, and only after obtaining approval from the competent authority could construction begin.
“The BDO could not have passed the November 28, 2025 order. The point raised was contended before the deputy director of panchayats, but it was not considered. Therefore, the December 5, 2025 order is bad in law and must be quashed and set aside,” said Judge Irshad Agha.
The Chimbel panchayat had rejected GTDC’s application for a construction licence on October 16, 2025. GTDC appealed before the BDO, who set aside the panchayat’s order and directed it to issue the licence within 24 hours.
Local resident Govind Shirodkar challenged this through a revision application before the deputy director of panchayats, which was dismissed on December 5, 2025. Aggrieved, Shirodkar approached the court, which set aside both the deputy director’s and the BDO’s orders.
