BATTLING FOR GOA'S SOIL! By Raaisa Lemos Vaz

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BATTLING FOR GOA’S SOIL! By Raaisa Lemos Vaz

THE delicate ecological equilibrium that defines the Goan landscape is once again at the center of an intense planning controversy. In a move that has reignited the fierce debate over land use and sustainable development, the Town & Country Planning (TCP) department has officially cleared a specific batch of six property proposals under the controversial Section 39A of the TCP Act.
The notification unlocks a total of 27,549 square meters of land across six villages, converting plots previously classified as orchards, agricultural fields, or natural cover into high-density settlement zones ready for real estate development.
To fully grasp the gravity of this latest notification, it must be viewed against the backdrop of an unprecedented real estate and land conversion boom across Goa. Section 39A allows individual landowners, real estate developers, and large corporate entities to bypass holistic regional planning entirely. The rapid ‘salami-slicing’ of the landscape is driven heavily by an external demand for luxury gated communities, holiday villas, and second homes. Critics and legal experts argue that this plot-by-plot spot-zoning creates an unsustainable “zone within a zone,” fracturing contiguous ecological pathways and permanently altering the rural fabric of Goa’s historic villages.
While the clearances have been met with swift opposition from local village groups and environmental collectives, the TCP Board, led by Minister Vishwajit Rane, has presented the decision alongside a massive, parallel push for environmental zoning. In tandem with the settlement conversions, the department has shifted four massive, distinct tracts of highly eco-sensitive land — totalling 31.5 lakh square meters — into strict “No Development Areas” to safeguard local mangroves, khazan lands, salt pans, and paddy fields.
With a 30-day window currently open for citizens to submit formal objections and suggestions to the Chief Town Planner, the notification has exposed a deepening rift between state-led real estate expansion and an increasingly anxious, protective younger generation.

SIX VILLAGE TARGET
THE latest round of notifications targets six distinct villages which are: Chorão, Reis Magos, Cuncolim, Calangute, Tivim amd Oxel distributed amongst three talukas.

Chorão: The single largest and most contentious parcel sits on the riverine island of Chorão, accounting for 19,892 square meters — nearly 72% of the entire batch’s total area. Bounded by delicate mangrove ecosystems and home to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chorão’s ecology is highly vulnerable. Activating nearly two hectares of land for residential settlement here risks altering local drainage patterns and increasing domestic sewage pressures on an island dependent on fragile aquifers.
Reis Magos: Reis Magos faces immense pressure from luxury housing and high-end real estate developers seeking panoramic sea views. Converting land along these coastal hills frequently triggers slope instability, deforests localized natural cover, and strains village roads and water lines originally designed for small native populations.

Calangute: Calangute’s infrastructure is already stretched past its breaking point due to mass tourism flooding the village. Adding further settlement space to this saturated landscape completely strips the village of its few remaining open, porous plots that handle heavy monsoon run-offs.

Tivim and Oxel: Moving inland, villages like Tivim and Oxel feature low-lying fields, internal waterways, and traditional orchards. Converting green lung spaces in these areas breaks down contiguous ecological pathways.

Cuncolim: Down in the south, Cuncolim represents a critical intersection of agricultural heritage and industrial-urban expansion. The conversion of land parcels here into settlement blocks directly reduces the available green buffer zones, pushing concrete structures closer to agricultural fields and vulnerable low-lying lands.
The paradox we face at this moment is that while the board cleared the 27,549 square meters for settlement, it also issued orders to move 31.5 lakh square meters of highly sensitive land into strict No Development Areas (NDZ). To the lay man’s eye the No Development notifications appear favourable to the environment but to others, the massive No Development notifications act as a political buffer — a way to project a pro-environment stance while quietly continuing to grant spot-conversions for real estate developers under Section 39A.

FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM
FOR Generation Z in Goa, many of whom are currently navigating college, entering the workforce, or engaging in grassroots groups, the state of Goa is viewed through a lens of intense climate anxiety mixed with fierce, protective identity. They do not see Goa merely as a holiday destination or a real estate map, they see it as a fragile ecosystem and a homeland under existential threat.
The continuous passing of amendments like Section 39A of the TCP Act, the systematic chopping of hills, and the conversion of low-lying khazan lands and fields into luxury concrete complexes feel like a betrayal of their future. Environmental milestones — from the Save Mollem campaign to the loss of iconic environmental guardians like the late Fr Bolmax Pereira — have deeply shaped their world view.
While they are digital natives who experience the weight of “doomscrolling” through local environmental destruction on Instagram, this anxiety isn’t paralyzing them. Instead, it has fueled an unprecedented wave of hyper-local political and social awareness. Gen Z corrects the narrative by turning social media into an enforcement tool. They use Instagram reels, investigative carousels, and independent digital media to break down complex legislation (like explainers on Section 39A or 17(2)) into sharp, accessible terms. When a hill is cut or a wetland is filled illegally, it is often a student’s smartphone video that goes viral, forcing regulatory bodies to act. As a massive chunk of this generation hits voting age, their focus is steering sharply toward accountability.
The recent massive public turnouts at Azad Maidan, hunger strikes, and village gram sabha representations demonstrate that Gen Z is increasingly willing to back political alternatives and leaders who place environmental protection, land preservation, and native rights at the absolute top of their legislative manifestos.
The preservation of Goa’s future will not be decided by broad declarations of intent, but by the tangible choices made on specific plots of land — in the orchards of Oxel, the hills of Reis Magos, and the fragile river basins of Chorão.
With the 30-day window currently ticking down, the immediate battleground remains bureaucratic. Youth groups across Goa are already organizing localized workshops to assist citizens in filing formal, legally grounded objection letters to the Chief Town Planner. For Goans, these 27,549 square meters are not just rows on a ledger — they are the latest pieces of their homeland at risk of disappearing entirely.