Panaji, February 26 Revolutionary Goans Party MLA Viresh Borkar called off his fast unto death on Thursday, seeking the repeal of Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning Act, after the Goa government agreed to cancel proposals sanctioned under it in his constituency.
Borkar, the MLA from the St Andre Assembly constituency, had been on a fast unto death at Azad Maidan here for the past six days.
He called off his protest after North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav met him at Azad Maidan with a letter cancelling all projects approved in the St Andre constituency under Section 39A of the TCP Act.
Later, addressing a press conference, Borkar said he was calling off his fast.
"My fight to protect Goa will continue," he told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Borkar and 28 others were booked for allegedly stealing files and other items from the Town and Country Planning Department office during a protest, an official said.
Borkar had led a protest at the office of Chief Town Planner Vertika Dagur in Patto locality here on February 20, objecting to the change of zone in the Pale-Siridao village under Section 39A, which empowers the Chief Town Planner to convert any non-settlement zone into a settlement, paving the way for construction.
After the group stayed put at the office through the night, Borkar was forcibly removed in the morning of February 21.
Citing information from the police, tribal leader Govind Shirodkar said 29 protesters, including Borkar, have been booked for allegedly stealing 10 files from the Town and Country Planning department, as well as fans and cupboards.
"This is a ridiculous charge because the police were present during the protest the entire time. The area is also under CCTV surveillance," Shirodkar claimed.