Goa RP 2021: Inquiry ordered into land conversion allegations

An inquiry has been instituted into allegations made by civil society groups that several politicians had illegally converted land, under the guise of the Goa government's Regional Plan 2021, to facilitate construction activities.

The RP 2021, which was revived by the state government on March 29 this year, allows construction activities, on a case to case basis, on lands notified as settlement, commercial, institutional and industrial zones.

Goa Town and Country Planning Minister, Vijai Sardesai, in a note forwarded to the Chief Town Planner, has asked a five-member committee to "conduct a detailed study and inquiry on the allegations against politicians, individuals and institutions on the issue of conversions under RP 2021".

The note, a copy of which is in the possession of PTI, has set a deadline of June 1 this year for the submission of the inquiry report.

On Saturday, civil society groups backed by the Church, during a protest rally, had demanded the scrapping of the RP 2021 and had alleged that several politicians were illegally converting their land under the plan to facilitate construction.

The protest rally named several politicians, from across parties, and these included three serving state government ministers.

The minister's note, instituting an inquiry into these allegations, also asked the civil society groups to come forward to give details of it as well as objections they had to the RP 2021.

The RP 2021 was put on hold in 2012 by the Manohar Parrikar government before being revived last month.