Protest against housing project in Goa; minister cites decades-old land conversion

Against the backdrop of a protest against a proposed housing project in North Goa, Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane has said the land was converted into a settlement nearly three decades ago at the request of his father, former CM Pratapsingh Rane.

Against the backdrop of a protest against a proposed housing project in North Goa, Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane has said the land was converted into a settlement nearly three decades ago at the request of his father, former CM Pratapsingh Rane. A group of people from Karapur-Sarvan village in North Goa district have been protesting for about a month, accusing Rane of selling off his huge property to a leading builder, without addressing the environmental concerns. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Vishwaji Rane said he was being unnecessarily targeted, pointing out that the rocky land was converted into a settlement around 30 years back at the request of his father, when he was the leader of the opposition. The land was converted into a settlement by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, and all the authorities, including the local panchayat, had given permission for the same, he said. The minister also said the entire stretch was rocky and ''it is a myth that there was a cashew plantation in that area''. ''I don't know why suddenly a handful of people are protesting against the project. All the legal permissions required for the project are in place. If they have any questions, they should ask them to the company developing the property,'' he said. The minister further said his family had donated vast tracts of land for development projects in the state, including the Anjunem Irrigation Project (on the Goa-Maharashtra border) and the Dabos water treatment plant in Sattari taluka. ''People have the right to speak, but they should not cross their limits by making baseless allegations,'' he added.