Protest against land use rules: Goa MLA's health deteriorates, hospitalised

Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar, on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the scrapping of a provision of the Town and Country Planning Act, has been shifted to the hospital after his health deteriorated. Opposition parties led by Borkar have been protesting at Azad Maidan here since Saturday, demanding the repeal of the Town and Country Planning Act's Section 39A, which enables the conversion of a non-settlement zone into a settlement zone, paving the way for construction activities. Dr Oscar Rebello, a private doctor, checked the health parameters of Borkar on Monday night and advised that he be shifted to the hospital. ''His parameters are dropping and he requires immediate medical attention,'' Dr Rebello told the protesters, following which Borkar was shifted to a nearby private hospital in Panaji city at night. Earlier on Monday, hundreds of protesters marched to the private residence of the state Town and Country Planning Minister, Vishwajit Rane, in Dona Paula near here. They demonstrated outside the minister's house for hours before shifting their protest to Azad Maidan. Several leaders, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, AAP MLA Venzy Viegas and Goa Congress vice president Sunil Kawthankar, had joined the protest outside Rane's residence. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday refused to concede to the demands, while expressing displeasure over the way the protest was held outside minister Rane's private residence.