Villagers launch indefinite sit-in at TCP office to save Siridao’s ancestral hills and prehistoric caves

Goa Khabar : The corridors of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department were transformed into a site of resistance today as residents of Palem-Siridao launched an indefinite sit-in protest. Led by St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar, the villagers are demanding the immediate revocation of zone changes for Survey Nos. 42/1 and 42/2, approved under the contentious Section 39A of the Goa TCP Act.

Equipped with mats and supplies, the protestors—predominantly from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community—have vowed not to vacate the premises until the notification is officially withdrawn.

A battle against the “Builder-Politician Nexus”

The protest marks an escalation in a long-standing feud between local communities and the TCP Board. Residents allege that ancestral lands and steep forest slopes are being systematically reclassified as “settlement zones” to benefit private developers.

MLA Viresh Borkar, a vocal critic of the government’s land policies, addressed the crowd with a stern warning:

“The TCP Board is directly responsible for destroying Goa’s lands and troubling the Tribal and OBC communities. We will not stop until this notification is revoked and this predatory Act is scrapped entirely.”

Threats to archaeological and ecological heritage

At the heart of the dispute is the Mhatarechi Homti, a prehistoric single-cell rock-cut cave carved into laterite stone. Believed to date back to the 6th or 7th century, the site holds immense archaeological and spiritual value for the Palem-Siridao community.

Local resident Tushar Gawas highlighted the cultural stakes involved:

• Cultural Erasure: The cave is located directly on the land slated for conversion.

• Ecological Degradation: Villagers claim hills have been cleared via deliberate man-made fires to destroy the habitat of foxes, wild boars, and rare medicinal plants.

• Illegal Infrastructure: Evidence was presented regarding a mud road illegally constructed through “No Development Slopes” (NDS) during 2025, which protestors claim has significantly increased landslide risks.