Fine of up to Rs 1 crore for hill cutting to be imposed by Goa Town and Country Planning Board

Panaji: The Goa Town and Country Planning Board has decided to impose fines of up to Rs 1 crore on those found involved in hill cutting in the coastal state, state minister Vishwajit Rane said.

The Board, which met under the chairmanship of TCP minister Rane on Thursday, resolved to impose hefty fines on violators.

Read more: NIA conducts searches, arrests one more accused in Bhangar bomb blast case


Rane told reporters that a fine of Rs 50 lakh would be imposed for the first instance, which will be increased to Rs 75 lakh for the second and Rs 1 crore for the third.

The minister said action under the TCP Act would also be taken against violators, right from the first offence.

Rane said that flying squads from his department are already taking action. The government has appealed to citizens to alert the authorities to any instances of hill cutting, he said.

The state government has decided to act stringently against those who are destroying the environment, he said.

Read more: India names Neelkanth Mishra as executive director at World Bank

Rane said his department has been periodically notifying crores of square metres of land as "No Development Zones" to ensure that conservation measures are in place in the eco-sensitive places of the coastal state.