Panaji: In a major blow to the Town and Country Planning Department, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said he has directed the department to withdraw the approval granted for the conversion of 80,926 square metres of land in Sankhali Assembly constituency under Section 39A of the TCP Act.
Responding to media questions, Sawant said he has already spoken to TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane on the matter.
The Chief Minister categorically stated that no land conversions under Section 39A will be carried out in his constituency, although the TCP Department has already granted provisional approvals for several proposals.
The department had recently notified provisional approvals for the conversion of land under Section 39A, covering thousands of square metres of land across the state. This includes about 80,926 square metres of land in the Sankhali segment, represented by the Chief Minister himself.
“I have spoken to the TCP Minister instructing him that the approval be withdrawn by March 26,” he said, making his stand clear on the contentious land conversions.
“The property that has been proposed for conversion under Section 39A is a valley. I don’t know whether they (TCP) officials have seen the site, “ Sawant said.
The large number of approvals have raised concerns over the implications of such conversions on land use and planning norms. Section 39A allows for certain relaxations in land conversions, subject to specified conditions, but has often drawn criticism over its implementation.
Sawant’s intervention is seen as significant, indicating a possible tightening of oversight on such approvals.
With the Chief Minister stepping in, the department is expected to act swiftly on the direction to withdraw the Sankhali-related approvals, even as broader implications of such conversions remain under scrutiny.
It is pertinent to note that recently the hunger strike undertaken by MLA Viresh Borkar compelled the government to announce the withdrawal of all approvals which had been granted for land conversions under Section 39A in St Andre Assembly constituency.
