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Where are your promises CM?

HERALD
May 14,2010
The Goa Bachao Abhiyan on Friday said as of May 12 the Government had not issued a single notification on ‘no construction in eco zones’, even as the CM had assured he would not allow no constructions in eco-sensitive zones.

The GBA in a press release issued here said its core group met on May 12 to take stock of the assurances given by the Government in constituting flying squads to check land-use violations and formation of a committee headed by the Secretary to the TCP for modification of the outdated TCP Act 1974 to include people’s participation.

It ridiculed that as of May 12 not a single notification had been made official, with all papers still awaiting the CM’s signature. Illegal hill cutting, filling of fields that need permissions of TCP under Section 17-A of existing Goa TCP Act, 1974 and other violations continue unabated on ground, maintained Secretary GBA Reboni Saha in the press release.

Saha observed that despite bringing the violations to the notice of the Government with specific details, the aggrieved citizens have not received any communication on action taken till date.
She chided, “It is more than two months since the first assurance was given for protection of eco zones but no order is forthcoming. The same Government issued an ordinance in less time than this last year for protection of private interests.”

Saha stated the Government had not yet communicated its stand on the peoples’ demand for approvals of plans only as per existing roads and not based on proposed roads, which are sometimes imaginary. This issue has been a major cause of dissent in the villages as local peoples’ land is sought to be acquired for road widening to serve private builders and to pave way for building huge projects, she mentioned.

She informed, “In the ongoing case of the group housing project of Carmona, documents received under RTI reveal how our own MLA has requested for road widening even though houses bound both sides of the road leaving a total of three-metre width.”

GBA has reiterated its demands that the Government through its office should notify ‘No construction on Eco-sensitive zones’, provide the public immediately with details and powers of the flying squad in a similar notification, initiate the process to replace/amend the outdated Goa TCP Act, 1974 immediately and issue an action taken report on the violations of TCP and other rules for development of land that were brought to the notice of the government at the structured meeting called by the Secretary for Town and Country Planning, Yaduvanshi, on April 21, 2010, among other issues of RP 2021.

GBA mentioned that people in the villages are ready to do anything in desperation to protect their surroundings and they have charted out their plan of action. The Abhiyan has promised to intensify its agitation and stated any untoward consequence as result of it will be the sole responsibility of the Government.

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Where are your promises CM?

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