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Rane should dig deeper, more than 4,00,000 sq. mts. of land illegally converted from Candolim to Arpora and Parra, allege activists
PANAJI: While appreciating the efforts of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane in exposing the illegalities in the North Goa coastal belt with regard to illegal conversion of tenanted comunidade and agricultural land to settlement zones, several activists claimed that Rane’s estimate of 2,20,000 square meters of illegally converted land was just the tip of the iceberg.
Rane on Friday, confirmed what activists in the Northern belt had been saying all along for the last 2-3 years. The Minister took to Twitter stating that it had come to his attention that 2,20,000 square metres of tenanted agricultural land was converted in Parra, Nagoa, Arpora, Candolim and Calangute areas in violation of the land revenue code.
According to a report in The Navhind Times, the TCP Minister said that the tenanted lands that have been illegally converted will be reverted to their original status. “A probe will be initiated on such savages violating the code,” he added.
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According to Juliet Mendonca, a resident of Bardez taluka and co-convenor of the Save Goa Forum (SGF), Vishwajit Rane must dig deeper as the real figures are much higher and almost double the figures quoted by the TCP department.
Mendonca alleged that more than 4,00,000 square meters of comunidade and agricultural land has been illegally converted in the Candolim, Calangute, Nagoa, Arpora and Parra belt, ostensibly on the instructions and connivance or knowledge of the Calangute MLA and the Panchayats of the four villages who are part of the MLAs team, as well as other land mafia, including builders and investors from outside Goa.
She alleged that even the Mamletdars and Deputy Collectors turned a blind eye to the land conversion scam in North Goa as without their tacit approval or understanding, such a huge land scam could not be undertaken.
More than 2,00,000 square meters of land has been illegally converted in Arpora alone, while the total figure of illegal land conversion in Candolim, Calangute, Arpora, Nagoa and Parra put together is in excess of 4,00,000 square meters – Save Goa Forum
A prominent activist from Arpora who did not want to be named (as he has been physically attacked before by the land mafia), said the going rate for illegal land conversion was Rs 5000 per square meter and that several low-lying areas, small ponds, hills and hilly terrain, including private forest or tenanted comunidade and agricultural lands were converted into settlement zones at the instance or knowledge of the Calangute MLA.
According to the Arpora activist, more than 2,00,000 square meters of land has been illegally converted in Arpora alone.
“A low-lying area and pond of approximate area 3400 square meters in Survey No. 73/3-A near the Nilaya Hotel at Arpora has been partly filled up and shown as settlement zone in the Outline Development Plan (ODP).” he said.
After a public outcry and media coverage, the TCP department (under the earlier Minister) had defended itself, claiming that the pond was actually an abandoned stone quarry. This parcel of land was shown as purchased by one Helen Carmo Lobo who in turn sold it to a company Casa Luxury Realty Six LLP, in spite of the fact that it cannot be legally sold. It is now shown as a settlement plot.
In another instance of illegal land conversion at Arpora, a paddy field in Survey No. 102/1 on the road to the St Joseph High School near the Veigas Super Market at Arpora is also shown as settlement, when it actually falls under comunidade land.
The paddy field is shown to be owned by one Minika Naik alias Shrimati Shrirang Naik, whose name still appears in the official records as tenanted lands cannot be sold, claimed the Arpora activist.
According to him, land bearing Survey No. 49/0 and part of a hilly tract and private forest was illegally purchased by one Rohan Harmalkar of Divar, an associate of the Calangute MLA and converted into settlement zone in connivance with Panchayat officials and the MLA. It was in turn further illegally sold to one Satbir Singh, which is illegal, as it is comunidade land which cannot be sold as per law.
The same Rohan Harmalkar was allegedly involved in a brutal assault on an activist Roy Fernandes from Verla in June last year, according to an FIR registered by the Anjuna police.
He contested as an independent candidate from the Cumbharjua constituency in the recent Goa Assembly polls held in February this year.
Harmalkar who is alleged to be an associate of the Calangute MLA is party to several land dealings in the Arpora area, the activist alleged.
Massive hill-cutting has been seen in another hilly tract of land, in Survey No. 94/1 owned by one Jeremios D’souza, and measuring about 21,500 square meters.
According to the Arpora activist, the ownership of the converted lands is very vague and very often the name of the original owner still reflects in the Form 1 and 14. There are chains or stages of benami transactions and the investors or real owners may be very different from what is shown in the records, he said.
The Calangute MLA has a stake in an illegal restaurant on the Calangute beach and is protecting it from demolition (Read Here) as he controls the Calangute Panchayat, while on paper the structure is shown as solely owned by a Delhi-based businessman Rajiv Arora, the activist alleged.
Benedict D’souza, former ward member from Parra alleged that in Parra village too, attempts are being made to convert fields into settlement zones, by land filling and fencing.
Rane must look into all these complaints, the activist demanded, adding that many people have sent written complaints to him over the last few weeks, expecting justice from the TCP department.
