The Goa government has notified 4 lakh square metres of ecologically sensitive land around the protected heritage precinct of Old Goa and a patch of mangroves in St Cruz village panchayat as 'no development zones', banning any construction or development activity in these land parcels.
State town and country planning minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday said that the conservation of these areas, comprising orchards, salt pans, and mangroves, has been carried out under section 39(A) of the Town and Country Planning Act.
The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Board, in a notification on Thursday, declared a total of 1.02 lakh square metres of land around Old Goa, comprising partly of orchards and an archaeological park, as a 'no development zone'.
Old Goa is the former colonial capital of the coastal state and a UNESCO World Heritage site comprising churches and colonial Portuguese-era structures.
The TCP Board has also notified 3.37 lakh square metres, comprising salt pans, mangroves and other ecologically sensitive sites, as 'no development zones in St Cruz village in North Goa.
Rane said that the village is home to rich salt pans and paddy fields that need to be protected from being converted into settlement zones.