Goa Corrects 30-Year ‘Special vs Spatial’ Error in Panchayat Raj Act, Restoring People’s Role in Land-Use Planning – heraldgoa.in

Legislative Correction in Goa Advances Sustainable Development Goals

Overview of the Legislative Amendment

A significant legislative correction has been enacted in Goa, rectifying a three-decade-old error in the Goa Panchayat Raj Act. The Goa Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which received gubernatorial assent on October 22, 2025, replaces the erroneous term ‘special’ with the constitutionally mandated term ‘spatial’. This amendment is a critical step towards reinstating participatory planning and aligning state law with national constitutional provisions.

Alignment with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The amendment directly contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. By restoring the mandate for ‘spatial planning’ to local bodies, the act empowers communities to shape their own development, a core principle of SDG Target 11.3.

• Participatory Planning (Target 11.3): The law now facilitates a bottom-up planning process, originating from Ward Development Committees and progressing through Village Panchayats and Zilla Panchayats. This ensures that land-use planning is inclusive and representative of local needs.
• Sustainable Land-Use: Empowering local communities in spatial planning is expected to mitigate the environmental degradation that resulted from exclusionary, top-down development decisions.
• Strengthening Local Governance: The amendment strengthens the capacity of local institutions to manage sustainable urban and rural development, moving towards more resilient and well-planned communities.

Strengthening Institutions for SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The correction of the legislative error is a fundamental move towards building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels, as envisioned in SDG 16.

1. Constitutional Alignment: The amendment aligns the Goa Panchayat Raj Act with Article 243ZD of the Constitution, reinforcing the rule of law and the constitutional mandate for District Planning Committees.
2. Accountable Governance (Target 16.6): It restores decision-making power regarding land use to locally elected bodies, making the planning process more transparent and accountable to the people.
3. Inclusive Decision-Making (Target 16.7): After 30 years of exclusion, the change ensures that Goans can participate directly in the planning of their villages and towns, fostering a more democratic and representative governance model.

Implementation and Future Directives

Following the assent, civil society organizations, notably the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA), have outlined key steps to ensure the amendment’s effective implementation. These measures are crucial for translating the legislative change into tangible progress on the SDGs.

• Capacity Building: There is an urgent call for the government to provide technical expertise, training, and financial support to Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies to effectively carry out their new spatial planning responsibilities.
• Legislative Harmonization: Advocacy continues for aligning related laws, such as the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act and the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) Act, with the principles of the new amendment to create a coherent legal framework for sustainable development.
• Multi-stakeholder Partnership (SDG 17): The decades-long campaign by the GBA exemplifies the vital role of civil society in partnering with government to advance sustainable development and institutional reform.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• The article directly addresses the planning and management of human settlements, specifically villages and towns in Goa. The core issue is the restoration of “spatial planning” rights to local bodies, which is fundamental to creating sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article focuses on governance, law, and institutional frameworks. It highlights the correction of a law to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making. The amendment empowers local institutions (Panchayats, Municipal Councils) and strengthens their constitutional role, moving away from a top-down approach to a more accountable and transparent system.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

1. Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.
   • The article is centered on this target. The correction of the law from ‘special’ to ‘spatial’ planning is explicitly aimed at enabling a “bottom-up participatory model” for land-use planning. The new process, starting from Ward Development Committees up to the State Regional Plan, is a direct mechanism for participatory and integrated settlement planning.
2. Target 11.a: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.
   • The article describes a new, integrated planning structure: “Planning will now begin at the Ward Development Committee level within Village Panchayats and Municipal Councils, move to the Zilla Panchayat for District Plans, and culminate in the State Regional Plan.” This hierarchical but integrated approach aims to strengthen regional development planning by linking rural (Panchayat) and urban (Municipal) plans.

Under SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • The amendment is a move to make the planning process more transparent and accountable by shifting power from a centralized authority to locally elected bodies. The article contrasts the new people-driven process with the old one that occurred “behind closed doors,” thereby strengthening the effectiveness and accountability of local governance institutions.
2. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • This is the core theme of the article. The amendment is described as restoring the “right to participate in the planning of their villages and towns as envisaged under the Constitution.” The entire effort by the Goa Bachao Abhiyan and the resulting legal change are aimed at making decision-making in land-use planning inclusive and representative of the local population’s will.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 11 Targets

• For Target 11.3: An implied indicator is the existence and implementation of a legal framework that enables participatory planning.
  • Specific Evidence: The passing and assent of the “Goa Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025” serves as a direct measure. Progress can be further measured by the number of Village Panchayats and Municipal Councils that subsequently develop and adopt their own spatial plans under this new law.

Indicators for SDG 16 Targets

• For Target 16.7: An implied indicator is the existence of laws and policies that guarantee public participation in decision-making.
  • Specific Evidence: The amended Goa Panchayat Raj Act itself is the primary indicator. The article states it “deprived Goans of their right to participate” and the amendment now “returns to the people through their locally elected bodies.” The future establishment and functioning of Ward Development Committees in the planning process would be a tangible measure of this participation.
• For Target 16.6: An implied indicator is the strengthening of local government capacity and resources.
  • Specific Evidence: The article does not state this has been achieved, but it points to it as a necessary next step. The call by the Goa Bachao Abhiyan for the government “to provide technical expertise, training and financial support to Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies” implies that the provision of these resources will be a key indicator of the effectiveness and accountability of these newly empowered institutions.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: heraldgoa.in