Govt notifies 1.03 crore square metres land in South Goa as No Development Zone

Panaji: The Goa government has notified 1.03 crore square metres of ecologically sensitive land in South Goa's Salcete taluka as No Development Zone (NDZ) under the Regional Plan, state Minister Vishwajit Rane has said.

The Town and Country Planning (TCP) minister on Friday said that the notified area comprises salt pans, paddy fields and other environmentally sensitive lands spread across seven villages under Salcete taluka.

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According to Rane, the largest chunk of the notified land is in Talaulim village, covering 29.13 lakh square metres, followed by Majorda (17.64 lakh square metres), Seraulim (16.81 lakh square metres), Loutolim (16.71 lakh square metres), Utorda (9.92 lakh square metres), Orlim (9.49 lakh square metres) and Calata (4.08 lakh square metres) (total 103.78 lakh square metres).

The decision aimed to strengthen environmental conservation while protecting Goa's fragile ecosystems, he said.

The notification is part of the state government's ongoing exercise to identify and protect environmentally sensitive areas from developmental activities under the Regional Plan.

Earlier this month, the TCP department initiated the process of notifying large stretches of ecologically sensitive land across the coastal state as NDZs, a move aimed at preserving natural landscapes and agricultural heritage.

The latest notification significantly expands the protected area in Salcete, one of Goa's rapidly urbanising talukas.