Goa Relocates Unity Mall and Prashasan Sthamb From Chimbel to Panaji Outskirts

Overview

• The government said the shift was taken after considering residents’ sentiments, even though the original site lies in a settlement zone along the national highway.
• A multi-stakeholder survey conducted January 23–28, with villagers’ representatives, CSIR-NIO officials and a hydrologist, used drone mapping and found the site outside the wetland’s zone of influence and mapped catchment and drainage lines.
• Chief Minister Pramod Sawant invited protest representatives to a 6 pm meeting at his official bungalow to review the survey and address concerns.
• Protest leaders, who had held a strike and hunger strike for nearly a month, welcomed the decision and described it as a victory for Chimbel residents.
• Organisers had announced a ‘Maha Andolon’ beginning January 30, and they said their next steps would follow once they receive formal communication on the relocation.