Banning Agro land conversion to be Act
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 27 July 2012 21:57 IST
Goa government is planning to bring a legislation banning conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purpose.
The Regional Plan 2021 has already prohibited conversion of agricultural land, which had become rampant for over two decades.
Not to take further risk in this regard, the government is now planning to make it an act.
“I will bring the bill in this session itself. Please co-operate to pass it immediately”, chief minister Manohar Parrikar appealed to the Assembly members today.
Nuvem MLA Mickky Pacheco asked whether government would take back the agricultural land, which was sold keeping in mind to convert it.
“We may not take the land back, but we will definitely not allow it to be used for any other purpose than agriculture”, Parrikar made it clear.
Goa had witnessed series of toppling of governments in ‘90s as a direct outshoot of land conversions by different lobbies of builders.
Later, in late 2000, the state had witnessed state-wide agitation against the Regional Plan 2011, which had proposed to convert huge tracts of agricultural land.
The Digambar Kamat government had then set up a task force for a new regional plan, which proposed to prohibit conversion of agricultural land, besides other green zones.
Though the RP21 is presently under review, Parrikar government has taken ahead good features of it, including prohibition to convert agricultural land.
