Latest news with #TCP
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
TCP clears housing, tourism projects without asking: Where is the water?
Panaji: In a state battling water scarcity across both urban and rural belts, the town and country planning (TCP) department continues to issue technical clearances for new housing and tourism projects on a daily basis without assessing a fundamental requirement—access to water. Rapid urbanisation, compounded by unchecked groundwater extraction and the burden of a swelling tourist population, has left Goa's already strained water infrastructure gasping for breath. But despite the growing crisis, government departments continue to function in silos. Clearances for towering housing colonies and luxury resorts are handed out without consultation with the public works department (PWD) or the water resources department (WRD), the very bodies tasked with ensuring that the state's citizens are not left parched. Nowhere is this more evident than in Panaji. The capital faces a current shortfall of 2 million litres per day (MLD) in its water supply—roughly the requirement for a ward the size of Mala. Yet, just weeks ago, the state greenlit a 587-room luxury resort at Miramar. When officials from the tourism department were asked about parking and water requirements at a Goa Tourism Board Meeting on May 28, the response was 'Not our headache. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invertir con Cervecería Nacional CFD, si tienes 30 o más, puede alegrar tu cuenta bancaria Empieza a invertir Inscríbete ahora Undo ' Goa's daily production of treated drinking water stands at 695 MLD. The demand has already overshot this figure by 62 MLD. In Siolim alone, the shortfall touches 7 MLD—over half of the village's requirement. The mismatch is glaring, and it is growing. As per estimates, an urban household in Goa consumes around 170 litres of water per person per day. The deficit in Panaji alone could affect an entire residential zone. Across the state, PWD officials have expressed frustration over the pressure on the system. The 11 new water treatment plants under construction—costing Rs 1,023 crore and adding 248 MLD to the system—cannot keep pace with the construction licenses and technical clearances issued by the TCP. The state's demand is surging due to an estimated resident population of 19 lakh, alongside an annual tourist inflow of 1 crore. Since 2020, the PWD has rejected approvals for a mere 18 multi-dwelling projects—10 in North Goa and 8 in South—on grounds of inadequate infrastructure. The largest among them was a 679-unit project in Sancoale. Despite such rejections, there is no mechanism to halt the TCP from issuing technical clearances. 'Many projects come up without NoC from the PWD. There needs to be a legal provision where TCP must verify water availability before approval,' a senior PWD official said. He added that developers are now building on hill slopes with no existing pipelines and expect the government to fund the infrastructure. 'Why should public money be spent for someone choosing to build in an area without basic access?' the official asked. Until recently, there was no requirement for a water connection to obtain an occupancy certificate. This changed only last year, after pressure from the PWD. The department hopes the revised rule will compel developers to obtain water availability certificates in advance. But there is a catch. 'The govt collects infrastructure tax from builders but when the time comes to provide electricity and water connections, the departments give excuses. Developers are always under pressure to deliver as they know that the buyer will approach RERA for compensation if there is a delay. The panchayats and the departments know this and they use it for their gains,' said the managing director of a real estate firm. 'If a panchayat denies permission due to lack of water, the appeal lies with the Directorate of Panchayats, which often overrules the decision,' said a panchayat member from North Goa. He noted that rising FAR limits in villages—from 60% to 80%—and approvals by the Investment Promotion Board for large projects have weakened the panchayat's authority. Despite mounting evidence of scarcity, the TCP continues to approve mega projects—resorts, second homes, and gated colonies—without consulting departments responsible for ensuring infrastructure.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
ODPs case another indictment of TCP's urban planning flaws
Panaji: The order of the high court of Bombay at Goa regarding the outline development plans (ODPs) for five prominent coastal villages — Calangute, Candolim, Arpora, Nagoa, and Parra — brings into sharp focus the long-standing allegations of arbitrary land conversion and procedural violations that have plagued the town and country planning (TCP) department. This is not the first time the judiciary reversed the department's policies. From putting on hold a circular on ODPs for the five villages to virtually striking down the TCP department's power to unilaterally alter the zoning of private plots through Section 17(2) of the TCP Act, 1974, the courts have emerged as the battleground for Goa's land politics. In most of these cases, the judiciary found the department's actions procedurally flawed, environmentally negligent, or contrary to statutory planning norms, say activists who have taken up cudgels against the department. The earliest large-scale expression of public distrust began with the Regional Plan 2011. Accusations of arbitrary zoning changes benefiting real estate interests led to the plan's scrapping, triggering the formation of the task force for Regional Plan 2021. This exercise ran into allegations that large swathes of land were converted to settlement zones without public consultation, prompting govt to once again keep it in abeyance. Since then, successive BJP govts have tried to bring in piecemeal changes in the RP2021 in the guise of amendments designed to 'correct' the errors. Vijai Sardesai was the first to try making incremental tweaks through Section 16B of the TCP Act during his brief stint as TCP minister in 2018. When this was challenged in the HC, present TCP minister Vishwajit Rane rushed in Section 17(2) in the guise of correcting 'inadvertent errors' in the RP2021. As public pressure mounted, and with Section 17(2) being challenged through a PIL, Rane brought in Section 39(A) for ease of land conversions. Under this, the TCP department's chief town planner has been empowered to alter or modify the RP2021 and the ODPs. According to Goa Foundation, 95% of the applications under Section 39(A) involve changes from orchard (2.4 lakh sqm) and natural cover zones (1.4 lakh sqm) to settlement. Meanwhile, on March 13, the HC read down Section 17(2) of the TCP Act. Justices M S Karnik and Nivedita Mehta minced no words when they immobilised the amendment, saying that it 'virtually has the effect of mutilating the regional plan'. By then, the TCP department had already converted 26.5 lakh sqm. The HC order said that such large-scale conversion could have 'disastrous consequences' on an ecosystem as fragile as Goa's. The HC's order on the ODPs is yet another indictment of the TCP's flawed functioning, said an architect. 'Money is being taken for land conversion, but nobody is talking about need-based planning. Govt must decide what happens to the zone changes that have been done till now,' the architect added. The HC order comes after a series of back and forth between environmentalists, the TCP department, the HC, and the Supreme Court. In fact, while hearing a special leave petition by Goa govt against the Bombay HC's order restraining construction based on the ODP for the five villages, Supreme Court Justice Satish Chandra Sharma told Goa's counsel, 'Please don't turn Goa into a concrete jungle.' The message never got passed down, with govt continuing to defend the ODPs in the HC. While these reversals brought uncertainty upon builders, investors, and landowners in Bardez—many of whom benefited from conversions in the ODP—the courts have signalled a zero-tolerance approach to irregularities in urban planning.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Status of projects in 5 villages under cloud
Calangute: The status of projects constructed based on approvals under the ODPs for Calangute, Candolim, Parra, Arpora and Nagoa by the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) and TCP department, could once again come under a cloud following Monday's HC order. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) which had filed one of the petitions against the ODPs, said, 'We have not yet received the order and have yet to see what directions have been given by the HC. But the HC has said that there can be no construction based on approvals given under the ODPs by the NGPDA and the TCP department,' said CCF president Premanand Divkar. Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said he was yet to see the HC order. The panchayat had approached the HC in 2016 against the inclusion of Calangute in the NGPDA, but it was withdrawn after a new panchayat body supported by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was elected in 2017. Lobo was also the chairman of the NGPDA at the time. A fresh petition had been filed after a new panchayat body was elected in 2022. The Goa Foundation had also filed petitions. The imbroglio over the ODPs has gone on for more than a decade. Activists and villagers had opposed the ODPs because of large-scale conversions of hill slopes and other eco-sensitive areas which had been marked as settlement zones. When the ODP was kept open for objections and suggestions, most of the objections had been ignored, villagers said.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
HC quashes ODPs for 5 villages, asks Goa govt to follow RP 2021
Panaji: In a major setback to the TCP department's plans for allowing construction activities in the North Goa coastal belt, the Bombay high court on Monday set aside govt's ODPs or outline development plans for five villages and directed state to follow Regional Plan 2021 for approval of plans and grant of permissions in these villages. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The two ODPs — Calangute-Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra — cannot operate and the five villages of Calangute, Candolim, Arpora, Nagoa, and Parra will not be governed by them, a division bench comprising justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita Mehta ruled. However, on the request of state govt, the HC stayed the implementation of its own judgment for four weeks, subject to govt ensuring that no permissions be granted and no construction or development take place in the five villages. The high court order on the ODPs comes after a series of legal back and forth with even the matter reaching the Supreme Court as the TCP department desperately tried to defend its implementation. The apex court flagged it off as a serious issue of unbridled construction when hearing a special leave petition by state govt against Bombay HC's order restraining construction based on the ODPs, Supreme Court justice Satish Chandra Sharma, while dismissing the SLP, said: 'Please don't turn Goa into a concrete jungle.' From issuing circulars to even an Ordinance, state govt has been trying hard to keep alive the ODPs despite initially suspending it due to large scale illegalities. But in between all the legal wrangles, the TCP department went ahead with zone changes on its own. The chief town planner even issued a circular taking away all the powers from the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) and directing that the TCP would issue clearances for development and zoning certificates. The circular was never notified but merely circulated among the district collectors, town planning officials and registrars among others.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Goa govt loses Rs 107cr as TCP gives free FAR to 321 commercial units
Panaji: Goa has lost Rs 107 crore as the town and country planning (TCP) department gave concessions to commercial establishments by not levying fees for additional floor area ratio (FAR), a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has said. But the loss shoots up to over Rs 2,000 crore if it is calculated on the rate recommended by the finance department, the audit report said. The TCP department granted 10.7 lakh sqm additional FAR to 321 commercial establishments on their request without levying any fees, while the finance department had directed the TCP to charge Rs 1,000 per sqm on the additional FAR and height granted to the commercial establishments. 'Due to non-levy of any fees while granting additional FAR to the commercial establishments, there was a loss of Rs 107 crore to the state exchequer,' the report said. The audit report also said if the rate, as recommended by the finance department, 'is calculated on the basis of Rs 20,000 per sqm charged for four-star and five-star hotels, which are commercial establishments, then the loss of revenue amounts to Rs 2,147 crore'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo But the ceiling for the grant of additional height and FAR was left open without any limit. In the absence of any provision for levy of fees for the grant of additional FAR and height, the TCP department granted additional FAR to 321 commercial establishments free of cost. A senior audit officer said the TCP department, through a notification on Aug 9, 2023, categorised the FAR. Thereafter, the department amended and inserted a new clause (2) under 6.1.1 of the regulations, whereby it was stated that 'govt, on recommendation of the TCP board, shall grant additional height and FAR to the proposals on a case-to-case basis in consideration of the locational aspect, nature of development, use proposed, information available, and any such other criteria, if required. Such relaxation shall, however, not be relaxed for more than 20% permitted in the prevailing regulations.' But within 12 days, through another notification on Aug 21, 2023, the TCP department deleted the earlier clause: '…such relaxation shall, however, not be relaxed for more than 20% permitted in the prevailing regulations,' thereby not capping the ceiling limit. In 2015, the TCP department through a notification on July 2 had said four-star and five-star hotels may be granted 'an additional FAR of 20% on the recommendation of the committee and on the approval of govt', but on payment of Rs 20,000 per sqm. As the 321 commercial establishments were set up for profit motive, the TCP department should have levied the fees in line with those charged for four- and five-star hotels, the report said. The report also said the rate prescribed by the finance department needs to be reviewed as it was minimal and there was no slab for various categories (individuals, commercial establishments) for the grant of additional FAR and height. The TCP department through the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulation, 2010, regulates building construction in Goa. The regulation specifies technical parameters like FAR, height, amenities, water supply, sewerage, and fire safety. The technical parameters differ from zone to zone, as well as the size of the building and plot.
