'Illegal orchard land conversion in Goa to be made punishable'

The illegal conversion of orchard lands in Goa would soon be made a punishable offence for which a person can be jailed for a year, state Town and Country Planning Minister Vijay Sardesai announced today.
In a meeting held at Porvorim this evening, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Board decided to amend the existing law in the legislative Assembly during upcoming session scheduled next month.
"There is a need to amend the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) so as to have criminal liability on the people who illegally convert orchard land into settlement zones," Sardesai told reporters here.

He said the initial estimates have revealed that around twentylakh square metres of orchard land has been illegally converted over the years.
The minister said the amendment making the illegal conversion a criminal act will be moved during the winter session of the assembly.
"If the law could not be amended during the session, we can also move an ordinance for the same," the minister said, adding that the offender would get an imprisonment for one year.

To ensure that the common man is not affected due to the proposed amendment, the state government has decided to offer amnesty period tillMarch 31, 2018for those who want to legalise their conversions.

Sardesai said the applications for legalising 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," he said.
Sardesai said the state government intended the amendment to work as a deterrent for the illegal conversions of orchard lands.
In order to block further illegal conversions, the 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," he added.

Sardesai said the applications for the conversions would be considered based on the Regional Plan 2001, a land use plan which is in operational in the coastal 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.
Sardesai said his department will exempt single family dwelling from the infrastructure tax, if it is spread across the area up to 250 square metres.
"Only the second or more generation Goan will get the benefit of the infrastructure tax exemption," he said, adding non-Goans will not be able to enjoy this benefit.