logo
‘Scrap conversion of eco-sensitive land under Section 17(2)'

‘Scrap conversion of eco-sensitive land under Section 17(2)'

Time of India07-07-2025
Panaji
: The Pilerne Citizens Forum (PCF), on Monday, demanded that all eco-sensitive land that was converted to settlement under Sec 17(2) of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act be reverted to its original state.
'Our request to govt is to keep the status quo, keep the land as it is. Or else we will move our complaint to the Supreme Court,' said Prakash Bandodkar, president of the forum
.
The forum has alleged that TCP minister Vishwajit Rane approved the conversion by exploiting the sub-clause of Sec 17(2) to give land clearances for areas.
'The HC permitted
govt to include portions of land which were left out in the RP 2001, to be corrected and included in RP 2021. But there is no provision for forest area, eco-sensitive regions, and NDZ being converted under this act,' Bandodkar said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bihari guest workers in TN left clueless on electoral rollrevision
Bihari guest workers in TN left clueless on electoral rollrevision

Time of India

time38 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Bihari guest workers in TN left clueless on electoral rollrevision

Amid the furore surrounding the 's special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the assembly election scheduled to take place later this year, the fates of lakhs of guest workers keen on exercising their voting right hangs in the balance. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Under the exercise, around four crore of the eight crore voters in Bihar will have to submit documents proving their citizenship to enumerators by July 25, failing which their names will be excluded from the rolls. Analysts have pointed out that a huge chunk of the electorate comprising illiterate and underserved voters might not have one of the 11 documents that the Commission demands (including domicile and caste certificates) as proof of citizenship, and might not be in a position to furnish them before the deadline. The development has shocked 4.5 lakh people from Bihar in , of which an estimated 2 lakh are in Chennai. They include workers in the construction, hospitality, and logistics industries as well as college students. While the Supreme Court had suggested last week that the EC accept Aadhaar, its own identity card, and ration card as documents for voter re-verification, there seems to be an air of uncertainty regarding the way forward. "Since the announcement, we have been flooded with calls," says Mukesh Kumar Thakur, Secretary of Bihar Association, Chennai, and also Secretary of the Bihar Foundation, Chennai Chapter. "Some people have voter ID cards from Bihar, while their Aadhaar and ration cards have a Chennai address. They're worried that their names might get struck off owing to duplication. We have instructed them to approach their ward members. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " Many workers are relying on relatives from their native constituencies to send them the necessary forms. Sanjay Kumar Jha, a logistics worker from Ambattur, who has lived in Chennai for 25 years with his family, plans on travelling to Bihar to get his verification done, as his Aadhaar bears a Chennai address, while the voter ID is of Bihar. In a majority of cases, workers have not been intimated about how to proceed with the revision process. Rajdev Kumar, a hotel employee in the city, fears the absence of awareness among guest workers could lead to mass exclusion from the electoral rolls. A similar fear has enveloped guest workers in other parts of TN. "Only a few among the daily wage workers from Bihar are educated, and they might be in a position to provide school or birth certificates. I have been working in Tamil Nadu for 15 years and all I have as proof are my Aadhaar and PAN cards," explained Rajesh Sah, employed at a private factory near Thaneerpandal road, Coimbatore. Others lament that the deadline for furnishing the necessary details is too short. With inputs from Anushka Juliet, Deepak Karthick, Vivanesh Parthiban

Creating fear to stop people helping law is a terror act: Supreme Court
Creating fear to stop people helping law is a terror act: Supreme Court

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Creating fear to stop people helping law is a terror act: Supreme Court

Supreme Court NEW DELHI: Indicating that an offence cannot be said to be a terror act only if an accused is convicted under an anti-terror law, Supreme Court on Tuesday said creating an atmosphere of fear to prevent people from taking the side of law by killing an army informer is also a terrorist act despite anti-terror law not being invoked in the case. A bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and S V N Bhatti did not agree that the killing of three civilians, including the army informer, in J&K with an AK-47 was not a terror act because the conviction was not secured under an anti-terror law, and expressed its reservation in entertaining a remission plea of a convict who has spent 27 years in jail in the case. Prisoner Ghulam Mohammad Bhat took the stand that he was not convicted under an anti-terror law, but only under the Indian Penal Code for murder, and therefore, his act cannot be termed a terrorist act. The J&K government told SC that a convict undergoing life imprisonment for a terror act was not entitled for remission under state policy. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the prisoner, said Bhat was convicted only under IPC section 302 (murder) and the Arms Act, and not under the then anti-terror legislation TADA. "Nothing was proved in court to attract TADA provisions. The trial court or the HC never found it to be a terrorist act," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo Additional solicitor general K M Natraj, appearing for the J&K government, submitted that explosive devices, including a weapon to launch grenades, were also reportedly recovered from the scene of incident and it was an act of terror, it was not a simple murder. Agreeing with Gonsalves, the bench said, "If you want to create fear among people to ensure that no one approaches authorities against the illegal act then it is a terror act and we cannot close our eyes. "This was done to create havoc to ensure that no one dares to side with the law, then it certainly carries the characteristics of a terrorist act and remission cannot be granted under the policy. You have to challenge the remission policy. " SC, however, allowed Gonsalves's plea to be allowed to challenge the J&K remission policy within the ongoing proceedings.

High court disposes of writ petition against UP govt's decision to merge primary schools
High court disposes of writ petition against UP govt's decision to merge primary schools

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

High court disposes of writ petition against UP govt's decision to merge primary schools

1 2 Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court disposed of a writ petition challenging the Uttar Pradesh govt's order to merge small primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 enrolled students into larger nearby schools, saying that the matter has already been decided by the HC's Lucknow bench. Disposing of the writ petition filed by Shashi and four others, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh observed, "The order passed by the Lucknow bench on July 7 has been placed before this court. On perusal of the said order, it reflects that the controversy has already been settled by the Lucknow bench." "Taking into consideration the submissions made by the senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners and the counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents, and the judgment and order passed by a coordinate bench of this court, the writ petition is disposed of," the court said in its order dated July 10. The Uttar Pradesh govt had on June 16 announced that it plans to merge small primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 students into larger nearby schools. This decision aims to improve education quality and optimise resource utilisation, citing issues of underutilisation and inefficiency in these small schools. However, the stand of the petitioners in the writ petition was that the merger violated the right to education (RTE) Act and could hinder children's access to education by forcing them to travel further to new schools. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo Besides, the decision could disproportionately affect girls and lead to increased dropout rates, added the writ petition. Pronouncing the verdict, the Lucknow bench had on July 7 said that the state govt is bound to ensure that no child is left out because of any action taken by it. It had observed, "On a complete analysis of Rule 4(1), Rule 4(2) and Rule 4(3) read conjointly of the Right to Education Act, it is clear that the state govt is bound to establish school on the nearest possible place from a habitation and in the absence thereof, it is obliged to ensure transportation facilities etc., and in conjunction thereof identifying the neighbourhood schools, whether they are government schools or otherwise. " Considering the National Education Policy 2020 framed by the central govt, the bench had said, "The policy in itself is laudable and prescriptions have been given with regard to the steps to be taken to ensure that education is imparted at the initial level to all the citizens and the children of the country."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store