Panaji: Terming permissions granted for change of zone illegal, former Allahabad high court chief justice Justice (retd) Ferdino Rebello called upon the chief town planner (planning) and the town and country planning board to re-examine all pending applications under Section 39-A of the TCP Act until the provision is repealed.Rebello said the TCP office and board have no power or jurisdiction to grant permission for conversion of agricultural land. He demanded an immediate halt to further permissions under Section 39-A and revocation of all illegal approvals already granted.Following the insertion of Section 39-A, 423 applications were filed seeking conversion of 31,54,258 sq m of land. Of these, final notifications were issued for 163 applications covering over 12.7 lakh sq m, he said.Despite the insertion of Section 39-A, Rebello said paddy fields cannot be converted in view of Section 2 of the Goa Land Use (Regulation) Act, 1991 and Section 31-A of the Code of Comunidades.He alleged that after 40 to 50 years, some tenants, in connivance with landlords and builders, sought false declarations claiming they were not tenants. Rebello added that if comunidades granted land by sale, lease, emphyteusis, or leave and licence for agricultural purposes, it cannot be converted for non-agricultural use, and if misused, the land reverts to the comunidade.
