Digital Goa, Oct 9 – High Court at Goa has issued notices to the Town Planning Department and Scrutiny Committee following a PIL by the Goa Foundation challenging amendments to the Building Regulations 2010. The petition has questioned the legality of over 739 relaxations in FAR and building heights, including approvals to several private developers, arguing that they undermine zoning laws and were granted without public scrutiny or impact assessments. The court has given the respondents four weeks to file replies, with the matter posted for hearing on November 17, 2025. The PIL claims the relaxations amount to backdoor zone changes, affecting transparency and planning in Goa. Incidentally, the amended Building Regulations 2010 empowers the Goa government to approve applications for relaxations of height and FAR restrictions across the state, contrary to the norms laid down under the same regulations.
