Porvorim (Goa) The Town and Country Planning department has decided to amend its act making it punishable offence for those who illegally convert their orchard land into settlement zones. And the offender can land himself behind bars for one year.
The department has identified that not less than 20 lakh square metres of the orchard land has been illegally converted in the State.
The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Board meeting which was held today at Porvorim this evening decided to amend the existing (TCP) law on the floor of the house during upcoming Assembly session scheduled in December, this year.
“There is a need to amend town and country planning act so as to have criminal liability on the people who illegally convert orchard land into settlement zones,” State Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai told reporters here today.
He said the initial estimates have revealed that around twenty lakh square metre of orchard land has been illegally converted in Goa over the years by various people.
The minister said that the amendment will be moved during upcoming assembly session scheduled in December 2017 which will make such a conversion ‘a criminal act.’
“If the law could not be amended during the upcoming session, we can also move an ordinance for the same,” the minister said adding that “the offender would be punished with imprisonment for one year.”
The minister said that to ensure that common man is not affected due to the proposed amendment, the State government has decided to offer amnesty period till March 31, 2018 for those who want to legalise their conversions.
Sardesai said that these applications for legalizing the conversions would be considered on case-to-case basis, and on their merit.
The Town and Country planning department has decided that the conversions would be barred on a sloppy land, low lying areas or in the eco-sensitive zones.
The applications on case-to-case basis would be considered under section 17 of the TCP act for legalizing the conversions, he said.
Sardesai said that the state government wants that the amendment to the town and country planning act should work as a deterrent for the illegal conversions of orchard lands in the State.
In order to block further illegal conversions, the minister said that the state government will make the no objection certificate (NOC) from the respective Sub Registrar’s office mandatory for the change of use of the lands.
“Till date this NOC from sub registrar’s office was applicable to the lands on only in the planned areas. But now it would be made applicable for the entire state of Goa by amending the Town and Country Planning act,” the minister added.
Sardesai said that the applications for the conversions would be considered based on the Regional Plan 2001, a land use plan which is in operational in the State.
“We have to study the status of Regional Plan 2021 and whether it has legal sanctity. In absence of such a clarity we have decided to base the permissions for conversions on RP 2001,” he said.
Announcing a populist measure, Sardesai said that the department will exempt single family dwelling from the infrastructure tax, if it is spread across of area up to 250 square metres.
“Only the second or more generation Goan will get the benefit of the infrastructure tax exemption,” he clarified adding that those who are not from Goa will not be able to enjoy the benefit.
