‘Please don’t turn Goa into concrete jungle’
Panaji : The Supreme Court has dismissed a fresh special leave petition filed by the state government against the order issued on January 23, 2025 by the Bombay High Court directing restraint on any construction in the ODP areas of Calangute, Candolim, Arpora, Nagoa and Parra.
A division bench of the apex court comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma nixed the SLP filed by the government.
Justice Sharma told counsel appearing for the state: “Please don’t turn Goa into a concrete jungle.”
The original PIL filed by the Goa Foundation against the illegalities found in the two outline development plans (Calangute-Candolim 2018 and Arpora, Nagoa, Parra 2020) has been moving between the High Court and the Supreme Court now for over a year.
This ‘movement’ will likely to cease with the High Court listing the PIL for final hearing and disposal on February 21, 2025.
The government itself suspended the two ODPs on emergency grounds in April 2022. It thereafter appointed a review committee which established large-scale rezoning of plots to benefit private parties in the wholesale bypass of procedures laid down for preparation of the two ODPs (covering five villages).
However, after accepting the panel’s report, the government re-notified the two ODPs in December 2022, maintaining many of the questionable zone changes.
The petition alleged that zoning of several new survey numbers was changed when the two ODPs were re-notified.
The government thereafter withdrew all five villages as planning areas, leading to the collapse of the ODPs.
On December 22, 2022, it issued a circular to keep the ODPs alive. The circular was stayed by the High Court. To overcome the stay, the government issued an ordinance to maintain the tainted ODPs. The Goa Foundation again moved the High Court against the ordinance. The High Court, vide its order dated May 2, 2024 stayed the operation of the ODPs.
The government moved the top court in May 2024. In two orders, the apex court stayed the High Court’s order. However, it directed that all construction as per the ODPs would be subject to final outcome of the writ petition filed before the High Court. It also directed that no change would be allowed in any of the five ODP villages till the petition was heard and disposed of.
In December 2024, the Goa Foundation found that the TCP department was issuing permissions for construction in the five villages. It moved the High Court with an application for restraint.
The High Court allowed the application by the order on January 23, 2025, and directed that the apex court’s order was clear and there would be no change in the ground in the five villages.
The government filed the SLP against the January 23, 2025 HC order in the apex court, which dismissed the plea after a brief hearing.
