Goa's Construction Controversy: Legal Challenges and Court Directives

The Bombay High Court has mandated that all pending and future construction applications under Goa's amended building regulations be marked as subject to legal challenges. This directive comes amidst ongoing litigation questioning the validity of recent amendments. The final hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 15.

The Bombay High Court has ordered the Town and Country Planning Board in Goa to identify all pending and prospective applications for increased floor area ratio (FAR) and height permissions. This action is due to ongoing legal controversies surrounding recent regulatory amendments.

A division bench, including Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S. Jamsandekar, issued these instructions following the observation that 255 applications are pending. The court refused interim relief in a PIL challenging the amendments, emphasizing that applicants should be notified of the petition's pendency against the amended Regulation 6.1.1 of the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010.

The court clarified that any permissions granted must indicate their dependency on the petition's final outcome. An NGO, Goa Foundation, had pushed for these amendments to be labeled as ultra vires, and the next hearing is set for June 15.

(With inputs from agencies.)