Goa High Court ne Town and Country Planning Act ke ek section ko kiya reject
Goa High Court ne Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 ke ek section ko reject kar diya hai. Yeh section zones ke andar zones banane ki permission deta tha. Court ne kaha ki yeh private land owners ke interests ke liye tha, na ki public interest mein.
Public interest litigation se utha sawaal
Teen citizen organisations ne High Court mein ek public interest litigation file ki thi. Unka kehna tha ki Act ka section 17 (2) Regional Plan ko “mutilate” kar raha hai. March 2023 mein notify kiya gaya yeh section authorities ko galtiyon ko sudharne aur zoning inconsistencies ko rectify karne ki power deta tha.
Regional Plan kya hai?
Regional Plan ek long-term land-use development blueprint hai jisko Goa ka Town and Country Planning Department prepare karta hai. Yeh state mein infrastructure, zoning, aur environmental conservation ke liye guideline ka kaam karta hai.
Court ne private land owners ke interests par uthaye sawaal
Justices Nivedita P Mehta aur MS Karnik ki division bench ne Thursday ko section 17 (2) ko reject kar diya. Unhone kaha ki yeh “public interest mein development ko badhava dene ke liye sustainable development aur environmental issues ke beech balance banane” ke liye nahi tha, balki private land owners ke interests ke liye tha.
Section ka misuse ka aarop
Petitioners ne argue kiya tha ki is section ka misuse bade tracts of land ko commercial purposes ke liye change karne ke liye kiya ja raha hai. State ke hisaab se, March 2023 aur 2 January 2024 ke beech, section 17(2) ke under 353 approvals diye gaye hain, jinse kareeb 26,54,286 square metres area affected hua hai.
Plot-by-plot conversion se Regional Plan ko nuksaan
Bench ne note kiya, “Applications file kiye ja rahe hain, entertain kiye ja rahe hain aur conversions grant kiye ja rahe hain, jiske liye koi outer limit nahi hai. Almost saare conversions paddy fields, natural cover, no development zone aur orchards se settlement zones mein kiye ja rahe hain.” Court ne aage kaha ki “aise plot-by-plot conversion, zone ke andar zone create karke, Regional Plan ko mutilate kar rahe hain.”
PIL ne challenge kiya section ki validity
Goa Foundation, Khazan Society of Goa aur Goa Bachao Abhiyan ne June 2023 mein High Court mein PIL file ki thi. Ismein Act ke section 17(2) ki constitutional validity ko challenge kiya gaya tha aur ise quash karne ki maang ki gayi thi.
Petition mein arbitrary powers ka aarop
Petition mein kaha gaya tha ki yeh section government ko “arbitrary, uncanalised aur untrammelled powers” deta hai taki woh Regional Plan mein plots ki zoning mein changes kar sake. Yeh changes private parties ke individual requests ke आधार par kiye jaate hain jo planning mein errors ka shikaar hone ka daawa karte hain.
