Panaji: More than half of the 71,861sqm of land proposed for conversion to settlement zone under the latest set of applications processed under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act is concentrated in Pernem taluka, underscoring the continuing development pressure along North Goa’s coastal belt.A notification issued by the town and country planning (TCP) department places 19 proposals, covering 71,861sqm, in the public domain after they were approved by the Goa town and country planning board on July 27. The proposals have now been opened for public objections and suggestions before the board takes a final decision.Pernem alone accounts for 36,886sqm, or just over 51% of the total area proposed for conversion. Bardez follows with 29,269sqm, while Raia in Salcete accounts for 5,519sqm and Collem in Dharbandora for 242sqm.The largest individual proposal seeks conversion of 26,600sqm of orchard land at Pernem village into a settlement zone using the Section 39A provision. Other major proposals include 10,525sqm of orchard land at Pilerne, 5,519sqm at Raia, 5,257sqm at Nerul and two separate proposals involving 4,067sqm each at Morjim.The notification also points to a continued concentration of applications in Goa’s tourism corridor. Villages such as Morjim, Mandrem, Nerul, Anjuna, Reis Magos and Pilerne account for a substantial share of the proposed conversions, continuing a pattern seen in previous Section 39A notifications.Several proposals involve land presently classified as natural cover, orchard, natural cover with no development slope, orchard with no development slope and cultivable land falling within irrigation command areas. In many cases, the TCP board has made its recommendations conditional upon comments from the forest department, water resources department (wrd) or the disaster management authority before the proposals proceed further.Several real estate firms are among the applicants that have sought conversion of land, including KGL Realtors, Scenic Estates, Chowgule Real Estate and Construction Co, La Sea Real Tech LLP and Zephyr Holdings.Zephyr Holdings has sought conversion of 5,257sqm at Nerul from natural cover and no development slope to settlement zone, while Scenic Estates has been recommended for conversion of 3,945sqm of adjoining land with similar classifications. At Salvador-do-Mundo, 2,733sqm of natural cover with no development slope has been recommended for conversion subject to the forest department’s comments.The notification states that all 19 proposals were approved by the TCP board under Rule 4 of the Goa Town and Country Planning (Change of Zone of Land in the Regional Plan or Outline Development Plan) Rules, 2024, and have been published to invite objections and suggestions from the public within 30 days.
