Latest news with #PrakashBandodkar
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Scrap conversion of eco-sensitive land under Section 17(2)'
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.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Amid RG protest, TCP dept issues stop-work order for Bambolim project
Panaji: Under pressure from Revolutionary Goans (RG), the town and country planning department on Wednesday issued an order asking Worldwide Resorts and Entertainment to stop work on its project at Bambolim. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The TCP department said that Worldwide Resorts and Entertainment failed to obtain the necessary environmental clearances for the hotel. The TCP department issued a technical clearance for the hotel in March 2024 on the condition that all the other necessary permissions would be obtained before construction began. 'It is observed that you have undertaken construction activities without obtaining prior environmental clearances as prescribed under EM Notification 2006, and therefore, you have violated the condition,' said Prakash Bandodkar , the deputy town planner. The application for environmental clearance is pending before the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority .A cursory site inspection conducted by the TCP department last week noted observations that appeared to be a rupture of the aquifers and substantial hill-cutting. RG MLA Viresh Borkar filed a complaint with the TCP and the directorate of panchayats, claiming that Worldwide Resorts and Entertainment violated norms while constructing the hotel at Bambolim. Bandodkar said that govt issued a note to the department with directions to 'immediately put a stop to the construction activities' because of non-compliance with conditions imposed by the department. Just a few days earlier, the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) issued a similar stop-work order asking Worldwide Resorts and Entertainment to stop work on its project at Bambolim. Borkar and RG president Manoj Parab, have been camping outside the department building even at night as part of a protest against the illegalities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'This department was sleeping, and we had to come here to wake them up. We want an FIR registered against the project proponent under the Environment Protection Act because they have violated the law. An FIR should be lodged against govt officials who did not act. We want to see if the home department acts,' said Borkar.
