‘I signed 700 files that month’: Ex-Goa Chief Secretary on approving zone change of property he eventually bought

The petitioners alleged “colourable workout of power” connected portion of authorities officials successful the substance of portion change, claiming that Goel, who besides held the complaint of Secretary, Town and Country Planning, astatine the time, signed the record approving the portion conversion successful March 2024, months earlier helium purchased the property.

The petitioners claimed the adept committee of the authorities “arbitrarily” processed the exertion without pursuing the process of law, thereby allowing demolition of the situation and paddy fields and coastal regularisation portion area.

Goel’s response

In an affidavit filed earlier the High Court past week, Goel said the allegations made by the petitioners that helium participated successful the process of granting support to payment himself has nary merit oregon substance. He said helium had “no transportation of whatsoever nature” with the owners of the spot until helium agreed to acquisition it from them, “which happened aft the correction of mistake successful zoning was approved by the Government connected March 11, 2024”.

He said helium is simply a bona fide purchaser of the spot and has not utilized oregon abused his powerfulness oregon presumption to summation immoderate undue vantage oregon immoderate benefit.

“As Chief Secretary and Secretary (TCP), I person signed much than 700… files successful the period of March 2024. The adept committee of the authorities took a determination to o.k. the connection moved… for correction of mistake to colony and the aforesaid was accorded authorities approval,” helium said.

He said the acquisition of the spot was made aft each the permissions and approvals were obtained.

In the affidavit, Goel said helium sold a level successful Gurgaon successful October 2023 and was advised by his chartered accountant to put successful different residential premises for taxation absorption purposes. He said helium decided to acquisition a residential spot successful Goa since helium had plans to settee down determination aft retirement.

He said that sometime successful April 2024, helium contacted a idiosyncratic who dealt successful properties successful Goa, who successful crook informed him of a location spot disposable for merchantability successful Aldona.

He said helium purchased the spot via a merchantability deed registered connected July 5 for Rs 2.6 crore.

He said that anterior to gathering the spot dealer, helium had nary cognition oregon accusation astir the location spot oregon its owners. Goel besides denied the contentions of the petitioners that helium had taken the way of correction of portion nether conception 17(2) of the TCP Act to undo and circumvent the provisions of the Goa Restriction connected Transfer of Agricultural Land Act 2023, stating that “as helium is simply a non-agriculturist and hence the merchantability of transaction itself is null and void arsenic per conception 3 of the said Act”.

Goel, a 1991-batch AGMUT cadre officer, was appointed Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Ministry of Tribal Affairs past month.

When contacted, helium told The Indian Express, “Whatever I had to say, I person said successful the affidavit.”