Goa govt rescinds order notifying 56 villages as urban areas

The BJP-led government in Goa on Tuesday withdrew its controversial order notifying 56 villages

in the state as urban areas which had triggered a huge public outcry.

In a press note issued in the evening, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that the order which had

notified 56 villages as urban areas under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, stands "withdrawn" in view of "public concerns".

Recently, the state Revenue Department notified 56 villages as urban areas under section 2 (38) of the Goa Land

Revenue Code 1968 (LRC). "Under the LRC, notification of any village as 'urban

village' only affects the process of assessment of land revenue and this classification does not change any building

or infrastructure guidelines as far as the Revenue department is concerned," the statement said.

The revenue department had clarified that these 56 villages are Census towns as per Census 2011.

"However, the notification caused anxiety amongst the public. The public is also worried because the villages

classified as urban areas might have certain implications under other laws.

"Considering the public concerns, the government has decided to withdraw the order with the immediate effect," the

CMO stated. Several NGOs as well as opposition Congress had

expressed apprehensions over the previous notification. As per the Census guidelines, a Census town is an area

having a population of more than 5,000, at least 70 per cent male working population in non-agricultural activities and a

population density of at least 4000 per square kms, according to the CMO.