Mass Protests in Goa, Thousands Take to Streets over Controversial Land Zoning Law

Panaji: Thousands of residents took to the streets in Goa's capital, Panaji, for four consecutive days over the demand for the immediate scrapping of Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act.

According to reports, The 2024 provision empowers the TCP Department to rezone land, including converting protected "green" or no-development zones, such as orchards, private forests, and hill slopes, into "settlement" zones, thereby permitting construction.

The protestors went on to brand their protest as a "Karo ya Maro" (do or die) movement.

Opposition parties, including the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and various citizen groups joined the protest. The protest began on Saturday (February 21), and villagers from Palem-Siridao in the St André constituency staged a sit-in at the TCP Department office.

They began protesting specific notifications that allegedly converted nearly 100,000 square metres of non-developable land overlooking their village into settlement zones.

The agitation escalated rapidly as on Sunday, a massive rally drew over 10,000 people to Azad Maidan.

By Monday evening, hundreds marched more than 10 km from Azad Maidan to the residence of TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane in Dona Paula, breaching multiple police barricades.

Rane, however, was not present during the demonstration. Protesters have since vowed to sustain their sit-in, with some shifting back to Azad Maidan.

RGP MLA Viresh Borkar from the St André constituency has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Saturday, declaring he will continue until Section 39A is repealed.

He claims the provision enables rampant, arbitrary land conversions that threaten entire villages, their environment, and traditional livelihoods. Borkar's health deteriorated during the protest, leading to his hospitalisation late Monday night, though he reportedly rejoined the stir on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant acknowledged the protesters' right to demonstrate but urged restraint. Speaking to the media, he stated that protests should remain within limits, preferably at Azad Maidan, and that formal representations could be submitted to the district collector. He criticised marching to a minister's private residence as improper and unbecoming of elected representatives, without directly addressing the core demand to scrap the section.

Minister Vishwajit Rane dismissed the protests as a "blackmail" tactic and called for the issue to be debated in the Legislative Assembly rather than on the streets. He has not yet commented publicly on the ongoing demonstration outside his home.

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