Panaji: The Goa Bachav Abhiyan(GBA), a body spearheading the cause of appropriate land-use planning, took strong objection on Tuesday to the “illegal method of making Regional Plan 2030” as announced in the Assembly by the Minister for Town and Country Planning (TCP) Vijai Sardesai.
“The government continues with planning proposals in complete disregard to the constitution. State land use plans have to be made at the panchayat and municipal levels to draw up two District Plans,” said Sabina Martins, convenor of GBA.
Peoples’ vision
The planning process, as laid down by the Constitution as Article 243G and 243W, recognises and requires the inclusion of peoples’ vision collated from villages and municipalities, specifically described in Schedules 11 and 12, with District Level Committees for North and South Goa finally organising plans into a coherent Regional Plan for the State of Goa, said Ms. Reboni Saha, Secretary of GBA.
The GBA has demanded that regional plan preparation should not start unless data collected, and inclusive process made clear for protection of eco-systems and Goan Identity.
The GBA has questioned the attempts of the government to collate base data of critical environment and social factors, with the usual case-to-case basis allowing for selective favours and highly destructive piecemeal settlement.
“This is not a process that can be done on a case to case basis,” said Ms. Martins.
Ms. Martins recalled that the Regional Plan 2021 was notified after three years of data collection and inclusive processes that was headed by an experts’ committee. It had most importantly clearly described criteria of Eco-Zones for protection and lowered built-up area in villages of low density.
The GBA officials said that the notified Regional Plan 2021 had protection of eco-zones and lower FAR in villages responding to the ground realities of Goan landscape and population.
Ms. Saha said it was shocking that this government now wishes to throw out everything that was fought for, finally paving the way for Goa to turn into a massive slum like Mumbai.
“With utter chaos created by working ‘outside’ the Regional Plan through Outline Development Plans and the Investment Promotion Board Act, this Government is unable or unwilling to control rampant illegalities. It is in complete disregard to its electorate that an issue as serious and complex as Regional Plan is now sought to be cleared based on no data, no criteria except individual requests,” said a statement of GBA.
The GBA demanded that the MLAs should demand a clear and transparent process and criteria in place for protection of the coastal state’s eco-systems and Goan identity would be established before any work on the Regional Plan actually commenced, they said.
The GBA has in the past successfully forced the then Congress government to scrap a Regional Plan 2011 by a massive people’s movement as they found it hostile to eco-systems, people’s interest, and tilted towards real estate lobbies.
