Goa govt for changing 4.4L sqm land to NDZ in Tiswadi

Panaji: The town and country planning (TCP) department has proposed classifying more than 4.4 lakh sqm of land in Tiswadi taluka as ‘non-developable area’ (NDZ) under fresh Section 39A notifications, covering ecologically and historically-sensitive zones at Old Goa and Santa Cruz.

The notification, approved by the TCP board on May 4, proposes conversion of large tracts currently classified as orchard land, khazan land, paddy fields, saltpans, mangroves, and water bodies into NDZ.

Of the total proposed area, around 3.4 lakh sqm pertains to Santa Cruz village, while just over 1 lakh sqm is located at Ella.

The Santa Cruz proposal covers an extensive cluster of survey holdings comprising khazan lands, mangroves, saltpans, paddy fields, orchards, and water bodies.

The TCP board has recommended that the entire 3,37,058sqm area be designated as non-developable area, while retaining existing settlement portions.

Several environmentally-sensitive land categories have been included in the proposal, including mangroves in survey numbers 546/1 and 546/2, water bodies in survey numbers 550/1 to 14, and khazan lands spread across multiple survey holdings. Portions of saltpans and paddy fields have also been proposed for protection under the no-development classification.

The second proposal pertains to Old Goa’s Ella village, where 1,02,500sqm of land have been recommended as non-developable area. The land presently comprises orchards, settlement pockets, protected archaeological sites, and institutional zone markings. Several plots presently classified as orchard land have been proposed for inclusion within the no-development category.

The latest notification issued by TCP chief town planner Vertika Dagur marks a continuation of the TCP department’s recent exercise of identifying ecologically fragile and environmentally-sensitive lands for non-developable classification under Section 39A of the TCP Act.

Unlike earlier notifications issued in recent weeks that largely focused on conversion of natural cover, orchard land, and irrigation-command areas into settlement zones, the present notification proposes restrictions on future development in areas containing mangroves, khazan land, saltpans, water bodies, and archaeological buffers.

The TCP department has kept a 30-day window for suggestions and inputs from stakeholders.