The demonstrations in the capital of Goa Panaji have gone into their fourth day, with thousands of citizens calling on the repeal of the controversial Section 39A of the Town and country planning Act. The provision that was presented in 2024 allows the Town and Country Planning Department to change the zoning classifications of land, such as changing designated green zones, where no building is permitted, to set up settlement zones, thus allowing building.
The movement, led by opposition parties including the Revolutionary Goans, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party has been termed as a karo ya maro (do or die) movement by the organisers. Thousands of protestors walked a distance close to 10 kilometres through Azad Maidan in Panaji to the home of the Town and Country Planning Minister, Vishwajit Rane, in Dona Paula, jumping several police barricades. It was also alleged the minister was absent at the time.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant accepted the right of the protesters to protest but he requested them to conduct themselves decently. He indicated that the representations needed to be handed to the district collector instead of marching to the house of a minister and such a tendency was improper.
Viresh Borkar who is the MLA in the San Andre constituency and the people of the Palem-Sirdao village are spearheading the protests. They are also seeking the revocation of five notifications which supposedly had transformed almost 100,000 square metres of orchards, privately owned forests and non-developable land into settlement areas. Natives are worried that the transformations may permanently affect the personality of their village.
The agitation commenced with a torch light rally and got to sit-ins overnight outside the Town and Country Planning Department and culminated in a large scale protest which attracted more than 10,000 people.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News