Villagers in Bhoma, Goa, have opposed land conversions and plot subdivisions under Section 39A of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, intensifying a long-running dispute over the proposed four-laning of the highway through the settlement.
A group of residents met Bhoma-Adcolna sarpanch Abdul Khan on Monday and asked the panchayat to formally register its opposition to the conversion of village land. The residents said widespread changes in land use could damage Bhoma’s landscape and alter the character of one of Goa’s smaller villages.
The latest dispute follows years of opposition to the proposed widening of the highway passing through Bhoma. Residents have said the project could lead to the demolition of temples that are central to the village’s social and cultural life. They are now questioning whether land conversion and plot subdivision could further change the area before the road project is implemented.
According to villagers, they became aware of the conversions after seeing a notification concerning a request to change a parcel’s zoning from sloppy non-developmental land to settlement use. Sanjay Naik, a Bhoma resident, said villagers had also learnt that 36 plots had been subdivided on village land.
Naik further alleged that some individuals had created plots on land acquired by the Public Works Department and applied to have the parcels converted into a settlement zone. He questioned why land held by the PWD in the village was being associated with such applications while the government was also seeking to acquire private land for the proposed four-laning project.
The reported conflict places two forms of land-use decision-making alongside each other: the conversion of land for settlement purposes under the planning law and the acquisition of land for transport infrastructure. The villagers’ objection is that both processes could reduce the land available for the existing village and weaken the basis for protecting its built, cultural and community landscape.
Bhoma has a population of around 3,000 and lies on a road link between Ponda taluka and Goa’s state capital. Its location gives the road strategic importance beyond the village, while the proposed widening has created concerns about how regional mobility priorities will affect a small settlement through which the route passes.
The village has also experienced industrial expansion nearby, with a significant part of the surrounding area already occupied by industrial units at Kundaim. Residents say the combination of earlier industrial development, proposed highway widening and new land conversions threatens to end the existing pattern of village life.
Sarpanch Abdul Khan said the panchayat supports the villagers and will discuss the matter at a panchayat meeting. Naik said residents could protest on the streets if the government did not stop the land conversions. The panchayat’s forthcoming discussion is expected to determine how the local body records and communicates its position on the applications and proposed land-use changes.
