<p>Panaji: Police allegedly dragged Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar out of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) office here along with several others on Saturday morning after they protested there overnight against the conversion of village land into a settlement zone.</p>.<p>The legislator accused the police of manhandling him and submitted an application of breach of privilege against the officials concerned.</p>.<p>After the police action, the legislator and the villagers chose a different site to continue their protest against the government, while TCP minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/vishwajit-rane">Vishwajit Rane</a> refused to revoke the order, calling the protesters as "blackmailers".</p>.<p>The protesters claimed that 84,000 square metres of the land in Palem-Siridao village in St Andre assembly constituency in North Goa was converted into a settlement zone from the non-settlement zone by the TCP department by misusing provisions in the section 39-A of the Act.</p>.<p>On Friday, the residents of the village marched to the TCP department office to hold the protest. Around 100 villagers, mostly women, spent the night there, to press for their demand for immediate revocation of the order.</p>.Karnataka removes land conversion requirement in GBA.<p>On Saturday morning, a police team went to the TCP office and dragged MLA Borkar from the site along with others. The police personnel could be seen lifting the legislator from the spot and bringing him out from the office.</p>.<p>Talking about the action, the MLA said, "This kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Being a legislator, I cannot be manhandled by the police as the assembly session has already been summoned by the Governor. No such action can be taken against me without the permission of the Speaker of the House." </p><p>The budget session of the state assembly is scheduled to start from March 6.</p>.<p>After their protest continued, Borkar submitted an application of breach of privilege against the police officials, who "manhandled" him.</p>.<p>"I have spoken to the Speaker over phone and he has categorically told me that he was not informed about the police action beforehand," he said.</p>.<p>Several other leaders, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Venzy Viegas, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Sunil Kawthankar, AAP's former Goa chief Amit Palekar, extended support to Borkar and joined the protest at the Azad Maidan here.</p>.<p>Borkar announced that he would launch an indefinite fast to press for the demand for revocation of the land use plan.</p>.<p>Responding to the protest, minister Rane said that the government will not revoke the land use order.</p>.<p>"Let them (protesters) sleep in the office. We are not going to revoke it. They are blackmailers," the minister told reporters in Sattari taluka on Saturday. </p>
<p>Panaji: Police allegedly dragged Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar out of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) office here along with several others on Saturday morning after they protested there overnight against the conversion of village land into a settlement zone.</p>.<p>The legislator accused the police of manhandling him and submitted an application of breach of privilege against the officials concerned.</p>.<p>After the police action, the legislator and the villagers chose a different site to continue their protest against the government, while TCP minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/vishwajit-rane">Vishwajit Rane</a> refused to revoke the order, calling the protesters as "blackmailers".</p>.<p>The protesters claimed that 84,000 square metres of the land in Palem-Siridao village in St Andre assembly constituency in North Goa was converted into a settlement zone from the non-settlement zone by the TCP department by misusing provisions in the section 39-A of the Act.</p>.<p>On Friday, the residents of the village marched to the TCP department office to hold the protest. Around 100 villagers, mostly women, spent the night there, to press for their demand for immediate revocation of the order.</p>.Karnataka removes land conversion requirement in GBA.<p>On Saturday morning, a police team went to the TCP office and dragged MLA Borkar from the site along with others. The police personnel could be seen lifting the legislator from the spot and bringing him out from the office.</p>.<p>Talking about the action, the MLA said, "This kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Being a legislator, I cannot be manhandled by the police as the assembly session has already been summoned by the Governor. No such action can be taken against me without the permission of the Speaker of the House." </p><p>The budget session of the state assembly is scheduled to start from March 6.</p>.<p>After their protest continued, Borkar submitted an application of breach of privilege against the police officials, who "manhandled" him.</p>.<p>"I have spoken to the Speaker over phone and he has categorically told me that he was not informed about the police action beforehand," he said.</p>.<p>Several other leaders, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Venzy Viegas, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Sunil Kawthankar, AAP's former Goa chief Amit Palekar, extended support to Borkar and joined the protest at the Azad Maidan here.</p>.<p>Borkar announced that he would launch an indefinite fast to press for the demand for revocation of the land use plan.</p>.<p>Responding to the protest, minister Rane said that the government will not revoke the land use order.</p>.<p>"Let them (protesters) sleep in the office. We are not going to revoke it. They are blackmailers," the minister told reporters in Sattari taluka on Saturday. </p>