Due to lowering of travel costs by discount airlines, Delhi developers are now selling Goan landscapes to Delhi residents as second homes. These “group housing” projects are huge, so huge they all require environment clearances. They are being located in ecologically sensitive areas like hill slopes most of which are also forested. These are “no-development” zones in the Regional Plan. However, the advantage of being a “Delhi developer” is that permissions can be procured fairly easily. Prime Minister told a Conference of Environment Ministers in August 2009 that environment clearances had become a source of corruption. He should know.

Among the major projects which are violating existing norms of steep slopes and forested stretches are the River Valley Project of DLF (Delhi) which began with 580 units but has now expanded to 700 units plus club house and 35 guest rooms. In the adjoining village of Sancoale is M Tech Developers, also Delhi based, putting up another 500 unit luxury housing scheme on similar terrain.

On the beaches, more Delhi owned proposals are coming up. These include a five star by Competent Automobiles, New Delhi, at Cansaulim, Mahaseer Resort at Mandrem, Pednem. In the former, destruction of sand dunes is involved. In the latter, the proposal is in front of a turtle nesting site.

None of the mega housing projects are designed to cater to local housing needs. They can’t due to the high costs involved. DLF is selling each unit for Rs.54 lakh (over the table). If each unit is worth Rs.1 crore (what with unofficial payments also demanded), this becomes a Rs.700 crore project, being sold on the natural attractions of Goa conserved and protected lovingly by Goans for centuries. The ironic thing is the natural assets must be permanently destroyed to make way for such speculative housing. Goa cannot stand this ever expanding, ever deepening pillage.

All this is happening under a Congress-led regime both at the State and Centre.