Goa govt moves to denotify 3.3L sqm of Tillari command area

Panaji: A day after Delta Corp chairperson Jaydev Mody announced the temporary shelving of its proposed Rs 2,500-crore integrated resort-cum-casino township at Dhargalim, the Command Area Development (CAD) board of the Tillari irrigation project has decided to invite objections and suggestions from members of the general public to denotify 3.3 lakh sqm of command area.A CAD board meeting was held on Wednesday, and Delta Corp’s application to denotify land in the command area was placed before it following which it decided to invite public objections and suggestions to denotify the command area land.“We received an application from Delta Corp to denotify land in the command area and will issue a notification in the govt gazette inviting objections and suggestions towards this,” new WRD chief engineer, Dnyaneshwar Salelkar, told TOI.Once the objections and suggestions are received, the CAD board will again discuss the application and make a final decision on whether to denotify the land.In May 2025, contrary to the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2025, the state cabinet denotified 3.3 lakh sqm of command area of the Tillari irrigation project at Dhargalim to pave the way for Delta Corp to set up an ‘integrated resort development project’ comprising three hotels, a convention centre, a multiplex, a retail area, a water park, banquet facilities, and a children’s entertainment area, among others.

State govt also waived Rs 5.5 crore sought by the WRD as a “notional one”.“Delta planned to invest Rs 2,000-2,500 crore in an integrated resort, which would have been the first of its kind in India, providing direct employment to 10,000 persons. We decided to temporarily shelve the project until there is clarity on all the GST issues,” Mody told TOI.Agriculture minister Ravi Naik had objected to denotifying the command area land and had said that areas under the command of major, medium, and minor irrigation projects are to be banned from being converted for non-agricultural use.