Goa's decision to free land for Delta Corp casino resort stirs political storm
As a political storm brews in Goa, a coastal state in western India, the BJP-led state government’s controversial decision to denotify 3.33 lakh square metres of agricultural land—previously protected under the Tillari Irrigation Project—is at the heart of the dispute. This move opens the door for a large-scale integrated resort project led by casino operator Delta Corp Ltd.
The land, situated in Dhargalim in North Goa’s Pernem taluka, had been designated under the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) only six months ago, in November 2024, for irrigation purposes. This designation was part of a broader scheme aimed at supporting local agriculture, in line with the recently announced Goa State Amritkal Agricultural Policy, 2025.
The decision has now come under intense criticism from legal experts, agriculture officials, and opposition leaders—particularly Carlos Alvares Ferreira, the Congress MLA from Aldona and a member of the CADA board.
Project at the centre of controversy
The government’s plan allows Delta Corp Ltd to develop an expansive Integrated Resort Development Project, which will include three hotels, a convention centre, a multiplex, retail spaces, a water park, banquet halls, and children’s entertainment zones.
To make way for this commercial venture, the land’s protected status for irrigation was removed. Additionally, a waiver of ₹5.5 crore ($660,000 approx.) originally demanded by the Water Resources Department (WRD) was granted, and ₹28 crore ($3.36 million) in conversion fees were paid by Delta Corp to facilitate the transition of land use from agriculture to commercial real estate.
‘Fraudulent & illegal’: Opposition leader
Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira, who is also a senior advocate and member of the CADA board, has come down heavily on the decision. He said, “I am surprised and shocked to see a news report that about 3.3 lakh square metres of land at Dhargal, Pernem, is sought to be gifted to a casino company called Delta Corp Ltd… which has blessed this (the denotification) in a totally fraudulent and illegal manner.”
He added that the Command Area Development Act was specifically enacted to protect farmers’ lands and provide them with irrigation facilities. According to Ferreira, the government has ignored due legal procedure:
“There is a procedure under the Act where a scheme is prepared, land is identified, and then the scheme is notified for objections… The cabinet has no power to override the CADA board constituted under a statute.”
Ferreira, who was present during the board meeting that approved the land’s notification as CADA land in 2024, alleged that the land was now being handed over to private players for casino expansion, against the very purpose of the law.
“I think this is wrong. This is proof that govt wants to sell lands, actually gift away lands, to casinos and to all these people who want to develop in real estate and who are trying to finish Goa.”
Goa agriculture minister seeks report
Goa’s Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik, who was absent from the Cabinet meeting where the decision was taken, also expressed concern. In a note to the Agriculture Secretary, Naik pointed out that the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, approved on 6 February 2025, prohibits conversion of land under irrigation projects for non-agricultural purposes.
“In terms of the policy, areas under the commands of major, medium, and minor irrigation projects are to be banned from being converted for non-agricultural use.”
Naik has requested a detailed report on the matter, asking if any no-objection certificates (NOCs) were obtained from the Directorate of Agriculture or the Tillari Irrigation Command Area Authority.
Legal expert flags administrative irregularities
8gfg.shop reached out to legal expert Srinivas Kotni regarding the case. While he cautioned against drawing hasty conclusions, he pointed out several red flags, stating, “In my view it would be premature to draw conclusions regarding the alleged de-notification of 3.33 lakh square metres of land previously designated for irrigation by the Command Area Development Authority (CADA) in November 2024. While CADA operates as a statutory body under state legislation, the reported de-notification was executed by the Goa Cabinet.”
He added, “Typically, it is uncommon for a state government to repurpose land for casino development shortly after its designation for agricultural use, suggesting potential administrative discrepancies or political motivations.”
The expert further noted that since the BJP leads the current government and the allegations are coming from a Congress MLA, “it is prudent to await official statements from the state government and the Goa Investment Promotion Board (Goa-IPB) to ascertain the facts before forming any opinions.”
Government defends its move
A report from the Times of India earlier this month quoted government sources defending the land conversion. They claimed the project posed no financial loss to the exchequer because the ₹28 crore ($3.36 million) in conversion fees paid by Delta Corp more than made up for the ₹5.5 crore ($660,000) waiver.
However, the optics of removing farmland protections just two months after adopting a pro-agriculture policy have triggered widespread criticism and suspicion of ulterior motives.
Procedural timeline raises eyebrows
- April 17, 2023: IPB issued a conversion sanad for the land.
- May 9, 2023: IPB cleared Delta Corp’s investment proposal.
- Feb 9, 2024: IPB granted Delta Corp a licence to build the integrated resort.
- November 2024: CADA officially notified the land for irrigation.
- April 2025: Goa Cabinet denotified the land for commercial use.
This sequence suggests that the land was set on a development path even before it was officially listed as CADA land—a key point of contention for those alleging fraud.
Tillari project’s agricultural significance
The , a ₹1,465 crore ($175 million) interstate initiative between Goa and Maharashtra, serves over 14,521 hectares of farmland. The canals—Left Bank Main Canal (LBMC) and Right Bank Main Canal (RBMC)—supply water for both irrigation and drinking. The land now under the spotlight was notified under Section 17 of the Goa Command Area Development Act, 1997, and was meant to be preserved for agriculture.
The RBMC canal, through which the Dhargalim land is irrigated, serves Pernem taluka where the project is now being launched.
What’s next?
As political tensions escalate, the state government has yet to release an official clarification. Meanwhile, Ferreira has suggested that the matter could end up in court, asserting that the decision is unlikely to hold up under legal scrutiny.
“The cabinet, however supreme it may be under its executive prerogative, cannot override statutory powers given to an authority under an Act… Therefore, the decision of the cabinet, being taken in total ignorance or bypassing of the CADA board, is totally illegal and will not stand the test when scrutinised by a court of law,” he said.
