Protest against TCP Act section enters day four; Goa MLA rejoins stir

Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar on Tuesday rejoined the protest against the misuse of a section in the Town and Country Planning Act to convert a tribal area into a settlement zone. Borkar has said that he will not withdraw the agitation till section 39A of the Town and Country Planning Act is repealed, he said.

Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar on Tuesday rejoined the protest against the ''misuse'' of a section in the Town and Country Planning Act to convert a tribal area into a 'settlement zone'. The agitation, which began on February 20, has entered its fourth day. On Saturday, Borkar, who has launched a hunger strike, was allegedly dragged and manhandled by the police. He was shifted to a private hospital on Monday night after his health started deteriorating during his indefinite fast. Speaking to reporters, RGP president Manoj Parab said that the MLA refused to stay in the hospital and rejoined the protest at Azad Maidan. ''Borkar has said that he will not withdraw the agitation till section 39A of the Town and Country Planning Act is repealed,'' he said. Protesters have claimed that 84,000 square metres of land in Palem-Siridao village in St Andre Assembly constituency in North Goa was converted into a settlement zone from non-settlement areas by the TCP department by misusing provisions in section 39A of the Act. The protests against the Act began on February 20 when a group of villagers from Palem-Siridao marched to the office of the TCP department, alleging that the hills in their village were being converted under this controversial section. Protesters on Monday marched to the house of TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane at Dona Paula, near Panaji. After protesting in front of his house for almost three hours, they returned to Azad Maidan at night.

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