Govt suspends TCP’s chief planner for causing loss of crores to state

Panaji: Chief town planner Rajesh Naik, who was granted an extension in service, was suspended on Wednesday “with immediate effect” in connection with the alleged underassessment of fees for land conversion under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act, causing a loss of crores to the exchequer.
Vigilance director Akshay Potekar said Naik was suspended as “a disciplinary proceeding against him is contemplated” and he has been asked to report to the department of personnel at the secretariat at Porvorim.
“Till this order remains in force… Naik shall not leave the department of personnel without the permission of the competent authority,” Potekar said in his order.
The directorate of vigilance initiated an inquiry after advocate general Devidas Pangam told the HC, hearing a PIL against the deliberate underassessment of fees, that govt found 46 beneficiaries of zone change, where the fees were underassessed by the TCP department for land conversion.
He also told the court that the report will be submitted in a sealed cover to the HC.
Following the inquiry, the TCP department submitted the files related to 46 cases of underassessment of fees to the directorate of vigilance. The TCP department also passed some orders for the cancellation of conversion of land over the failure to pay the difference amount in conversion fees.
One of the petitioners challenging the underassessment, Swapnesh Sherlekar, alleged that the TCP department deliberately undervalued the calculation of fees for the correction of zones under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act by applying the old rate of Rs 200 per sqm instead of Rs 1,000 per sqm as stipulated by the new notification of March 28, 2024.
The PIL cited one case in which govt approved the rectification/correction of 89,500sqm to a settlement zone. The PIL stated that the TCP department, instead of assessing Rs 8.9 crore fees under the Rs 1,000 per square metre rate, calculated fees of Rs 1.7 crore under the Rs 200 per square metre rate.
The HC had told the chief secretary to look into allegations of undervaluation of zone-change fees by the TCP department.