The selling of land in Goa

By Jessica Ripley

What is susegad?

“Living the chill and relaxed life”- Oshin Marques
“Susegad basically means slowly, no rush, and you
live it up. I love the susegad life”- Milifya Marques
“It’s like having no worries, no anxieties, just living the best life you possibly can” – Odelia Marques

I was unaware of the term susegad before visiting Goa, but it perfectly describes the beauty of Goa, gorgeous beaches, wonderful food and a warm sense of community.
However, this is currently under threat.

The core driver of this issue

Section 39A of the goa town and country planning (TCP) act.

This is an amendment made in 2023 that grants authorities’ power to bypass standard regulations and convert ecologically sensitive “no development green zones” into commercial and residential “settlement zones” pushed by Minister Viswajit Rane.

In 2026, over 84,000 square metres of protected land in Palem-siridao alone were rapidly opened to construction, triggering a statewide “enough is enough” citizen protest initiated by retired justice Ferdino Rebello.

Rane’s actions have also compromised vital wildlife habitats for example; he approved the construction of a resort on the Surla plateau within a wildlife sanctuary. This is detrimental to the sanctuary, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoAL)

The Abhinandan Lodha project, officially known as The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL) are an Indian real estate company founded in 2020 by Abhinandhan Lodha, focusing on developing premium residential plotted land projects across high-gross areas in India such as Maharashtra. This state boarders Goa but is not inside it. This is not only a statewide issue but a country wide one.

“Goa very sad now because old houses are not there and you can’t see everybody we used to sit on the steps and could see everyone passing through but now we can’t see because they have better houses better buildings” – Ophelia Abreu

The “one Goa” project In Karapur village (led by HoAL) is a larger private, luxury township stated as the “first of its kind”. A gated community with vllas, plots and resort like amenities. A defamation case was filed by HoAL against Swapnesh Sherlekar. They filed Rs15 core defamation case against the activist, as they allege that his public statements about their Karapur–Sarvan project were defamatory. The issue is the project hasn’t followed all the rules.

Media investigations and villagers’ testimonies as well as PIL (public interest litigation) filings, show repeat allegations of regulatory violations in the ‘One Goa’ project.

1- Illegal land conversions

A PIL filed in the Bombay High Court alleges that:

-25 lakh sq. meters of paddy fields were reclassified as ‘settlement zones’ under the TCP.
-Plot size rules were changed to smaller sizes, allowing higher profitability and more plots.
-Village roads were deleted from planning maps to make the project layout possible.

This is a huge conflict of interest as the minister of the Goa State (Vishwajit Rane) had a private company that allegedly sold land to the Lodha entity.

2-Missing mandatory environmental clearances

This project covers more than 50 hectares, meaning it legally requires:
-environmental impact assessment (EIA)

-environmental clearance (EC)

Many activists say no EC was obtained, construction remains ongoing. The public interest litigation (PIL) states the area is ecologically sensitive, claiming that skipping the EIA massively violates national law.

“It is really upsetting when they are trying to sell such
protected nature because I feel like it’s one of the biggest
things that make Goa” – Odelia Marques

This large-scale project (in rural Bicholim) remains inconsistent with rural infrastructure; amongst the many villas they plan to make a man-made white sand beach. Goans see this as unnecessary and a waste of resources
as they have many beautiful natural beaches across the whole state.

The government aimed to reclaim quietly. Villagers have reported hills being cut, wetlands destroyed, and water contamination affecting – this makes legal and administrative review stronger, acting as an important check on government. Local self-governance is powerful in

Goa as residents have the right to demand compliance checks, request investigations and submit rejections. Which many have done this either in individual letters or as part of legal cases.

“It is time to call out corporate developers like the House of Abhinandan Lodha who are entering Goa under the guise of investment and systematically changing the fabric of our local communities.”Swapeesh Sherlekar – The Goan Everyday

Community

“You are surrounded by such a big community of people; you know everyone” – Odelia Marques
“People are leaving Goa”
“Goa before used to be the cleanest state ever; it used to be full of
life, culture, traditions, but now because of the land these people
pay a lot of money to these Goans, and they give up their heritage
for a sum of money”

“There’s not many people left in our own little village; there’s only oldies left who are hanging onto those little properties they have, and that’s it” – Milifya Marques

Influxes of high net-worth buyers have severely increased
property values, forcing native Goans out of their own housing market as they are buying larger permanent residencies. This, in turn, alters the socio-cultural fabric of Goan villages.

“I hate how it’s become more and more gentrified and Goans don’t have their own space”- Milifya Marques

“All this gentrification also means that expenses are raising and it’s really bad for the locals” – Odelia Marques

“They have changed everything”-Ophelia Abreu
“Every time I go back I recognise it less” – Odelia Marques

People in Goa rely heavily on natural resources and farming for their community’s food and water. The destruction of these natural habitats is destroying their homes and way of life. Hill cutting and concrete construction on hillsides destroy Goa’s natural water catchment areas.

“Goa is literally such a beautiful place not just coz of our nature or communities because of our language which is also getting lost because of all of this “ – Odelia Marques

Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language recognised as the official language of goa. It is slowly becoming displaced as people move away and others move in.

“Peace is going”- Odelia Marques

“Community doesn’t feel safe anymore” – Ophelia Abreu

Burglary and vandalism crime rates have shown fluctuating trends, with urbanised areas like Panjim and Mapusa reporting higher cases. Peak season tourism contributes significantly to these trends.

What do you love about Goa?

“Everything we were born and raised by: the beach, beautiful trees, plants and animals”

“If you get rid of that, it just wouldn’t be Goa anymore; it wouldn’t be the susegad life anymore”- Oshin Marques

“I love everything about Goa; I love the people. It’s just home, a familiar feeling” – Oshin Marques

“I love my culture, I love our language, I love the people of Goa.”-Milifya Marques

“Goa is the most beautiful place in the world” – Ophelia Abreu (51)

“Go to Goa but don’t try to steal our land”-Milifya Marques (29)

“I want my Goa back”-Oshin Marques (25)

“Susegad is going”- Odelia Marques (20)

Thank you to Ophelia Abreu, Oshin, Odelia and Milifya Marques for helping create this and sharing part of your experience.

About the Author:
Jessica Ripley is a freelance writer/investigative journalist taking people’s real-world experiences, combining them with worldwide politics and the environment, as they often go hand in hand. If you’d like to collaborate or connect, here is my LinkedIn link
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-ripley-18a23531a

All photos owned by the author.