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Govt urged to withdraw Regional Plan

NT Staff Reporter
Panaji, Oct 11: The Goa Heritage Action Group has urged the state government to withdraw the Final Regional Plan 2001 published by the Town and Country Planning this August 2006 as it has raised several questions regarding the proposed settlement areas.

The secretary of Group, Ms Heta Pandit emphasised on undertaking a fresh consultative, transparent, non-political and unmotivated view of the Plan.

The Group underlined that the proposal for land use by the TCP department violates the basic tenets of social forestry and CRZ. While the settlement of 150 Ha marked in South Canacona, Loliem -Poliem violates social forestry land and major land use, the new settlement area of 52 Ha marked in Bardez, Arpora, on Baga hill also against the norms of forested area and major land uses change. Similar is the case with the large settlement area of 60 Ha marked in Pednem, Mandrem which violates orchard area and major land use change.

Concerned by Goas Final Regional Plan for Goa 2011, which contains several major changes from the draft plan, the Group alleged that the plan shows that insufficient plans are made. The Town and Country planning board, which should contain environmentalist and architects, contain only builders he pointed out. Senior journalist, Rahul Goswami while addressing the press said that the Final Regional Plan 2011 cannot stand as a development blue print for the state in its current form and strongly urges the Government of Goa to withdraw the Final Regional Plan, 2011 and undertake a fresh, transparent, non-political and an unmotivated view of the plan. It said the Town and Country Planning has taken the process of planning from the society and given it to the people who will most benefit from it. The data available on the plan is opaque and is not available to the general public.
Ms Patricia Pinto of Peoples Movement For Civic Action said that the plan did not take into consideration waste management and basic infrastructure. She accused the Town and Country Planning for planning for destroying Goa.

Mr Samir Mehta from the Bombay Environment Action Group questioned the vision statement of the plan and accused the government of deliberately not consulting the people of Goa while drawing up the plan hence making a mockery of the planning process. He also pointed out that the plan bears no stamp of the government as if the government doesnt want to attach its name to it. Six towns have been planned in this Regional map though the boundaries of the same have not been demarcated as yet.

Honorary Secretary, Goa Action Heritage Group said that this plan is anti-environment, anti-Goa and anti-people.

Some more serious violations of the plan state: the large industrial area of 90 Ha marked in Bardez and Serula plateau which has increased 3 fold from earlier land use marking which violates forested area and major land use change. Large new industrial area of 90 Ha marked in Canacona and Poinguinim, which violates orchard area, major land uses and change. Settlement zones marked on mangroves in the Zuari, Mormugao off the Cortalim bank of about 42 Ha violating the ministry of environment and forests on mangroves and CRZ. Settlement zones marked directly along Salcete coastline from Utorda to Cavelossim violating CRZ, settlement zones marked directly along Bardez coastline in Calangute and Candolim violating CRZ and settlement zones marked directly along Tiswadi riverbank in Siridao, Bambolim and Calapur, which violates the CRZ.

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Govt urged to withdraw Regional Plan

From the Discussion Forum