Panaji: Stating that State government is committed to protect all eco-sensitive areas, Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said that all the department is not bound to change all the zones from Orchard to Settlement, just because applications are moved for the same.
State TCP is drawing opposition for its proposal to consider change of zone on case-to-case basis from Orchard to Settlement, for those applicants who have been facing injustice due to illogical zoning process adopted by former governments in the State.
“Government is committed to protect all eco-sensitive areas and hence no change of zone shall be permitted of such ecologically sensitive areas,” Sardesai told reporters here.
He said that “it shall be ensured that the cases considered for change of zone shall in no way be contradictory to the stand of the State government.”
The minister said that even the areas released under settlement zone of Regional Plan 2021 have been most cautiously permitted for development by putting them under meticulous scrutiny of committee of experts consisting of renowned professionals.
“The government shall obtain views of competent authorities like Agriculture and Forest departments during the process of change of zone. Even otherwise, all such cases shall be under public scrutiny through notification and any genuine objection shall surely be honored,” he said.
Sardesai said “just because people have applied for change of zone, department is not bound to convert all such lands.”
