Aldona MLA Adv. Carlos Alvares Ferreira on Saturday described the Goa government’s decision to withdraw its notification proposing to classify 56 villages as urban areas as “a victory for the people of Goa,” while alleging that the proposal would have benefited builders and real estate interests.
Addressing a press conference, Ferreira said the withdrawn notification was similar to one issued in January 2020, which was later revoked following public opposition.
“If you remember in January 2020 they directly notified 56 villages as urban areas. Then noise was made, I had raised objections. I had said that this is the beginning of the destruction of the villages and finally on 20th February 2020, the government issued a notification withdrawing it. The question is, now in 2026 on the eve of the election, what was the justification for bringing it? Is it that the government wanted to change the status of the Village Panchayats, give benefits to builders and certain lobbies? Are there certain politicians who are directly involved in real estate as brokers or they are the ones who are actually into property deals who wanted to make some fast buck out of properties here in our constituency, including Aldona?” he asked.
Ferreira questioned the basis on which villages, including Aldona, had been proposed for urban classification, stating that no supporting data had been made public.
“What is the basis to call our Aldona urban? If you want to say there is some population expansion, there are more people in this village then you have to keep the data of other villages because if there is a proportionate increase, then there’s no justification. Secondly, the census is still underway. The census of our nation is not complete. So what statistics are you using, what data are you using to declare only these villages? It means that these villages were under your lens, under your scrutiny probably for development and making your own personal pockets full,” he said.
The Congress MLA said Moira Village Panchayat was the first in Goa to pass a Gram Sabha resolution opposing the proposal and claimed several other village panchayats later adopted similar resolutions.
“Even in Moira village, we had taken a resolution opposing this. This was the first VP in the entire Goa which opposed this and took a gram sabha resolution. Then started the series of other panchayats taking resolutions. But Moira was the first and we even said if the government decides to go ahead we will challenge it in the courts,” he said.
Ferreira also questioned why the Directorate of Panchayats had issued the communication if the process was being undertaken under the Land Revenue Code.
“When it is under the LRC, the first thing is the Revenue Department should have issued a notification saying that we intend to do it. The question is why did the Director of Panchayats send a letter to the panchayats. What has the panchayat directorate to do with it? I think that the minister of panchayats has to explain and the director of panchayats has to explain why they took on the role and why they assumed jurisdiction of the revenue department to send this notification,” he said.
He alleged that the proposal would have provided greater development opportunities for certain landowners and builders.
“Therefore the entire move was suspicious. Entire Goa was up in arms and this is a clear victory for every person in Goa who opposed this urbanisation plan, a sinister plan which would give unfettered development rights to these lobbies, to these builders and also to those probably have held property, purchased property and now will go to sell it by telling the buyers that the value has increased because now the proportions for urbanisation has increased including under CRZ regulations, if it is an urban area, you can probably to classify these areas as CRZ II. In urban areas it is CRZ II,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Ferreira criticised the state government and urged voters to reject it.
“This is the type of government that we have which is out, just not to finish Goa, but to finish Goans and to make sure that we will become strangers in our own land. Time to get rid of these people,” he said.
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