Goa Land Row: Vishwajit Rane in the Firing Line Over TCP Act Controversy

A political storm is brewing in Goa over the transfer of land from no-development zones (NDZs) to settlement zones, with State Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane at its centre. After the Bombay High Court at Goa struck down Section 17(2) of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act—Rane’s brainchild—on March 13, civil society activists and opposition parties have been demanding his resignation. However, Rane continues to defend the provision while expressing willingness to tweak the rules as per the High Court order. He initially considered appealing the High Court ruling in the Supreme Court but was ultimately dissuaded from doing so. Rane has rejected calls for his resignation, but as the demand gets louder, the knives are out both within his party and outside.

The controversy over the sale of land to big real estate companies has been raging over the past seven years. It was a BJP government that amended the State’s TCP Act in 2023, enabling transfer of land from NDZs to settlement zones. The amendment helped real estate giants enter Goa’s protected zones. Civil society activists and various NGOs such as the Goa Foundation had appealed against the amendment in 2022 and 2023.

After hearing the cases for almost two years, the Bombay High Court at Goa squashed Section 17(2). Commenting on the changes in the use of the land, the court called the decision of the TCP department “arbitrary” and “unconstitutional”. The court observed: “Almost all the conversions are from paddy fields, natural cover, no-development zone and orchard to settlement zones.” The Division Bench of Justices M.S. Karnik and Nivedita P. Mehta even said that “this may be a minuscule percentage as contended by the State, but the applications are being filed, entertained and conversions are granted for there is no outer limit”. The court found that by January 2, 2025, a total of 353 applications under Section 17(2) were approved by the authorities.

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After the verdict, the Goa government immediately declared that it would appeal to the Supreme Court. “Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi will present the Goa government’s side in the Supreme Court. The amendment was brought to give people opportunity to correct the errors made in Regional Plan 2021,” Rane said after the verdict. “The High Court has suggested tweaking the rules, regulations and guidelines. After studying the order, we will move the Supreme Court.” But in five days, Rane changed his stance and said that the TCP department would study the orders and tweak the rules accordingly.

Civil society criticises Rane

The amendment in the TCP Act was brought by Vishwajit Rane in February 2023, after he became the Minister. After the order, civil society members gathered in Panjim, the State capital, on March 20 to demand the ouster of Rane. More than 700 Goans were present at the protest.

Speaking at the protest, Claude Alvares from Goa Foundation, a non-profit organisation, said: “Rane is unfit to be a Minister. Almost 25 lakh square meters of land were transferred under his watch. He is the culprit. He must be sacked.” A veteran social activist, Alvares, also said if Rane was not sacked by the Chief Minister, then the people would take the matter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We have fought in court and won against Rane’s amendments. If we can go to court, we can go anywhere,” said Alvares.

Swapnesh Sherlekar, an engineer turned social activist who has become one of the faces of the protest against Section 17(2), said, “After the court verdict, any person with self-respect would have stepped down. Rane will not go on his own. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the BJP’s national leadership must ask him to step down.”

But Rane rejected the demand. He said, “If we keep paying attention to everything protesters say then let the NGOs and activists run the government.” He also added that “the government doesn’t operate based on the protests”. Rane alleged that some NGOs were running malicious campaigns against him.

Trouble brewing within BJP?

There is a buzz in Goa’s power corridors that Vishwajit Rane’s strong position in the BJP is not sitting well with the party’s State unit. Originally a Congress member, Rane’s father served as Goa’s Chief Minister for 17 years. A mass leader from North Goa district, Rane is considered a contender for the Chief Minister’s post. However, for the BJP’s original cadre in the State, he remains an “outsider”.

Amid the ongoing controversy, Rane was forced to retract his decision to appeal against the High Court order after discussions with the Chief Minister. His statement that NGOs are being instigated against him is being viewed in the context of the cut-throat politics unfolding within the State BJP unit.

Keeping the BJP’s internal power struggle in mind, Congress, the principal opposition party, did not turn up for the civil society protest in Panjim. But AAP’s two MLAs were present as were leaders of the smaller opposition parties. The Congress kept its distance also because “Rane is still in touch with senior leaders of his old party [Congress],” according to an important party functionary in the Goa BJP.

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Apart from the Section 17(2) controversy, Rane is under fire from civil society over the issue of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bombay High Court at Goa had directed the State government to declare part of the sanctuary as a tiger reserve. However, Rane opposed the order and approached the Supreme Court. There too, the National Tiger Conservation Authority filed an affidavit stating that it had already asked the Goa government to designate Mhadei as a tiger sanctuary.“It is the job of the Forest Minister to protect the forest. Rane is unfit because he is acting against the interests of the forest. This is why he should be sacked,” said Sherlekar. Civil society members also pointed out that Rane has given permission for a resort to be constructed on the Surla plateau of Mhadei sanctuary.

These issues have been building up for months, and the High Court’s ruling on Section 17(2) has given activists strong grounds to take to the streets against Rane. His opponents, both within and outside the party, are closely monitoring the situation. Alvares warned, “If Rane does not resign, the protest will escalate.” If that happens, Rane’s position in the government could be in jeopardy.