The Town and Country Planning Department in Goa has expanded protected areas in Salcete by designating 1.03 crore sq m as a No Development Zone.
Distributed across seven villages, the land includes key agricultural and ecological assets.
Officials say the measure strengthens ongoing efforts to identify, map and legally shield sensitive zones from future development pressures.
The Goa government has notified 1.03 crore square metres of ecologically sensitive land in South Goa's Salcete taluka as No Development Zone (NDZ) under the Regional Plan, Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane announced on Friday.
The notified area comprises salt pans, paddy fields and other environmentally sensitive lands spread across seven villages under Salcete taluka.
1 June 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
According to the minister, the largest chunk of the notified land is in Talaulim village, covering 29.13 lakh square metres, followed by Majorda (17.64 lakh square metres), Seraulim (16.81 lakh square metres), Loutolim (16.71 lakh square metres), Utorda (9.92 lakh square metres), Orlim (9.49 lakh square metres) and Calata (4.08 lakh square metres) (total 103.78 lakh square metres).
Rane said the land parcels notified as NDZ comprise ecologically sensitive areas, including paddy fields and salt pans, and the decision was aimed at strengthening environmental conservation while protecting Goa's fragile ecosystems.
The notification is part of the state government's ongoing exercise to identify and protect environmentally sensitive areas from developmental activities under the Regional Plan.
Earlier this month, the TCP department initiated the process of notifying large stretches of ecologically sensitive land across Goa as NDZs, a move aimed at preserving the coastal state's natural landscapes and agricultural heritage.
The latest notification significantly expands the protected area in Salcete, one of Goa's rapidly urbanising talukas
