PANAJI: Bowing to mounting pressure from village panchayats, residents, and political parties, the Goa government on Saturday withdrew its controversial May 13 circular that had revived the process of declaring 56 villages as urban areas under the Goa Land Revenue Code.
The Revenue Department, in an order issued on Saturday, announced that the May 13 communication “stands withdrawn with immediate effect,” effectively ending the consultation process initiated with the affected village panchayats.
The circular had directed the Directorate of Panchayats to seek opinions from the 56 villages proposed for urban status, reviving a proposal that was first introduced in January 2020 but later withdrawn following widespread protests.
The move sparked fresh opposition across the state, with several gram sabhas and village panchayats passing resolutions against the proposal. Residents feared that urbanisation would threaten Goa’s rural identity, impact agricultural lands, weaken the Panchayati Raj system, and impose higher taxes on locals.
The Congress party also launched a strong campaign against the proposal, urging villagers to submit objections and warning of protests outside the Directorate of Panchayats if the notification was not revoked. Party leaders alleged that the exercise was aimed at bringing villages under the control of Planning and Development Authorities (PDAs).
In villages such as Calapor and Chimbel, residents and activists demanded wider public consultation and detailed studies before any decision affecting their future was taken.
While the government has now withdrawn the consultation process initiated in May, it has not clarified whether the broader proposal to declare the 56 villages as urban areas has been permanently shelved, leaving uncertainty over the issue’s future.
