TCP board to classify 10 crore sqm of environmentally fragile land as NDZ

Panaji: Over 10 crore sqm of land, including agricultural land, salt pans, khazans, and low-lying areas, will be declared no development zones (NDZ), said town and country planning (TCP) minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday following a TCP board meeting. He also said that the department would not grant any technical permissions for construction within religious zones and archaeological sites.

Rane said that ecologically-sensitive plots along the Zuari and Mandovi riverbanks have been identified for conservation. These will be notified as NDZ in a week or the week after, he said.

“From the view of conservation, we have decided that the TCP department will give no permission (for construction) in places like Old Goa and other religious places as well as heritage and archaeological sites. The conservation committee will be strict about this,” Rane told reporters.

The TCP board has decided to constitute a notified committee under the board for declaration of buffer zones. He said that in order to protect khazan lands, the department has begun mapping all khazan lands in the state, with the process to take eight to 10 days.

“We have mapped all the paddy fields and we will release the survey numbers to the public as they are going to be declared as no development zone under the TCP Act sections. These should remain for agriculture use … all these lands will not be given any permission for development,” the minister said.

He said that his department will inform SC that over 550 survey numbers across Goa have been identified under private forest areas, which will be declared as NDZ to protect forests.

“There is already a stay given by

Supreme Court and no development can take place,” said Rane.

The forest department will implement the MISHTI (mangrove initiative for shoreline habitats and tangible incomes) scheme to protect mangroves, he added.

Salt pans that were converted to settlement in 2021 have been mapped by the forest department and are being marked as ecologically sensitive and marked for protection and conservation. Mangroves will also be preserved. Hill-cutting permission will be given only if need-based, said Rane. “The TCP and forest departments have to agree on certain aspects and without the forest department’s clearance, no permission will be given.”