Panaji: Congress party’s double stand on the 16B TCP amendment stood exposed after it was revealed that Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar is one of the beneficiaries of the zone change sought under the amendment.
MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar’s name also figures in the list of 23 beneficiaries, whose applications were cleared by the TCP board during its meeting held on Wednesday.
As per the information available from TCP, Vrushal Estate and Development Pvt Ltd is granted in-principle approval for change in zone from paddy field to commercial zone for a land admeasuring 3,588 sq mts at Chaudi Canacona taluka.
What is interesting to note is that, Congress Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar and his wife Savitri are the directors of the said company.
When contacted, Kavlekar, admitting that he applied for zone change, said that the land was wrongly marked as paddy field in 2021 Regional Plan. “The land was always commercial and it was wrongly marked as paddy field in RP21. So I applied for the correction,” he said.
This is what TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has been stating since the beginning. Minister, while passing the amendment in the House and also later, has repeatedly clarified that there are several cases which have been wrongly marked in RP21 and the same needs to be corrected. Congress party has been the strongest opponent of the amendment and had even alleged that it is not “case to case” but “suitcase to suitcase” bases zone change. The party had even announced to move to court.
