Herald: It’s a process that began with a massive people’s struggle, which peaked on December 18, 2006. The people rejected the haphazard manner of development and set the stage for the future of good planning. Victory was indeed achieved; the Regional Plan 2021 that came about was a result of people’s participation in a manner that was never seen in Goa before. But what really happened was that between the draft plan and the plan that was ultimately notified, there were huge deviations, loopholes and gaps. When Goa is at its crossroads, the government has kept a plan in abeyance, and it feels that keeping it in suspension for three years and then doing tokenism of getting people together and saying that the plan is being kept open, will be enough to assuage the feelings of the people. But that is not the way things will be done. Goa will not accept the criminal manner in which voices are getting undermined and planning is getting crushed at the altar of greed and the real estate lobby. Our panelists for this discussion include: Sabina Martins, convener of GBA; Xavier Fernandes, president of Salcete Panchayat Forum; and Dominic Noronha, member of UGF and panch of the Dramapur-Sirlim panchayat. I would like to place on record that attempts were made to reach out to the ruling party to take part in the discussion, and as always, there was a refusal.
Herald: Sabina, let us look at December 18, 2006. It was a phenomenal victory. A lot has been achieved, but don’t you think those achievements have now been undermined?
Sabina Martins: Yes, it is sought to be undermined. Let me first highlight the achievement. First of all, people participated in large numbers. Earlier, planning was done by a select few people and it was thrust on the people. That’s how all these conversions came about and people protested. They wanted to protect our eco-sensitive zones. Secondly, there were two demands at the GBA rally: the 2011 plan should go, the plan should be made by people’s participation as per the 73rd and 74th amendment. We got the plan, but the amendment to the law did not happen. But the draft plan went to the people and it came back with suggestions. There was a huge contribution by people and everybody protected their own land in their own way. After that, the state-level committee was formed. They started putting things that were not there in the plan. That’s why the people objected. Because people objected, they put the plan in abeyance and brought these things through the back door through other legislation.
Herald: When the plan was kept in abeyance, the promise was that this was a temporary measure and it would be there for around six months. Three years have passed. How can you keep a plan that is already notified in abeyance without any counter-notification? Is this OK by law?
Xavier Fernandes: I’ll continue with what Sabina just mentioned. The plan was released in three ‘releases’. That was also done in a hanky-panky way by the previous government. The government has admitted in ‘release one’ that it is an incomplete plan, but it was still brought out in 2012. In ‘release three’, in the introduction itself it is said that by 2021, the population projection of Goa is estimated at 18 lakh, with nearly 13.11 lakh living in urban areas and spread over 72 census towns and 14 cities. Presently, there are only four cities. By 2021, the government wants to make it 14 cities and 72 census towns. This was questionable. Additionally, there are those marinas, etc. It was very surprising when the government released the plan. Coming to your question. When the plan was notified, the BJP government said it was with the people and it would scrap the plan. I cannot remember a time when a notification was kept in abeyance. You can have a corrigendum on the notification or denotify it. This process of keeping it in abeyance is not as per law. It’s high time someone goes to the court.
Herald: Dominic, can you elaborate on the seriousness of the deviations?
Dominic Noronha: No proper sense was applied, even for the alterations done. Our villages have asked something and they have given a different answer. For example: there are low-lying catchment areas. During the monsoons, flooding takes place, and the water goes down quickly once the rain stops. These areas, at the behest of vested interests, have been marked as settlement zones without considering the impact that it would have on the village. The village will have to suffer due to vested interests. The RP21 cannot move forward at all because it is not in public interest. It is not going to serve the village.
Herald: What we find currently is that on village roads, rampant construction is happening. If you look at the stretch between Benaulim-Varca-Carmona, you have road widths going up to 25 and 30 metres. On what basis are these road widenings happening? You cannot have a consultant who’s telling the government to do road widening without the RP being in place. What are the dangers of this?
Noronha: It is leaving scope for the lobby that will benefit from these conditions. A simple villager will not benefit from a 25-metre road. We have not even requested it. This has happened to benefit certain sections of society. Will these certain sections make Goa benefit? Of course not.
Herald: Xavier, what are you noticing on the ground?
Fernandes: They are trying to hoodwink the people, basically. The past government did it, and now the present government is trying to do the same. There are two parts to a six-metre road: one is the ‘carriage way’ and the other is the ‘right of way’. Three metres goes for the drainage and shoulders, and there only three metres carriage way. I don’t know how the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department is passing these multi-dwelling projects on a three-metre carriage way, where two cars can’t pass. It doesn’t make sense at all.
Martins: It is true. People coming from the villages are very concerned about their low-lying areas, what is happening to the roads, whether the village identity is going to be protected. These are their issues. But for politicians, it is just opportunism. They are using the RP only to come and stay in power. They say development, but the development is completely lopsided ad favouring the builders and other vested interests. If you remember, Manohar Parrikar was leading an agitation against big roads. Whatever the BJP had opposed at that time, now it is doing the very same thing. People did not want big development in the village. They wanted to protect their identity. The government is not talking to the people. The RP has been kept in cold storage, and they have brought out legislations and laws to take other interests forward. Those legislations say that the RP will not apply, the TCP laws will not apply, the Panchayat Raj will not apply. People at the grassroots are concerned about their villages. Politicians are concerned about how to make money. And the money is going out. Our rivers are full of casinos. If there is unseasonal rain due to climate change, the Mandovi is going to overflow.
Herald: Coming to two or three terms that we’ve heard over the last few years. One was scrap, one was denotify, one was kept in abeyance. Even in its manifesto, the BJP said that it would denotify the plan. The governor also said that the same thing. What is the way forward? Should we denotify and come out with a fresh plan?
Martins: GBA looked at the whole process. The process has involved a lot of people, inputs are there and we have gained something. We have protected some eco-sensitive zones and we have planned development. People had objection to certain areas. We are looking at those areas and calling for a process to be put in place. First, the Act had to be amended. Secondly, the draft itself says that the data has not been obtained. If you want a plan to be good, you have to get data. Put people on the job and get it done. This new government had the opportunity, but nothing was done.
Fernandes: People’s participation is required for the making of the plan. It is the village that is ultimately going to get affected. Let the villagers decide what has to be done. In this direction, the regional plan was submitted by each village. Both governments have tried to do hanky panky and now they have brought the plan out. Now the government is not talking about the marinas and all these other projects that have come up. Because of this, the plan has to go back to the village. When the draft was sent, we sent some suggestions that were not taken care of. The objections that were raised three years back are not being addressed. It is important that they send the plan back to the people.
Herald: Dominic, will the same plan work or do we need to withdraw it completely and draw up a new one?
Noronha: A cost has already been incurred on forming this plan. And it is our own money that has gone into it. After this plan was presented to the government in 2009, the government has gone against it. This plan was presented back to the panchayats in 2011. There is a little problem from then. People realised that this plan is not in the interest of the village and they objected to it. Somehow, the objections never made it to the department. A final plan in public interest can still be prepared considering the suggestions given by the villagers. Before they finally notify it, they should send it to the panchayats.
Herald: We have to quickly go through one very important aspect of this draconian new ordinance that has come in, which gives blanket powers for any kind of projects to take place in eco-sensitive zones under the guise of development and public interest. This is the biggest criminal act inflicted upon the people of Goa. Could you briefly talk about this?
Martins: This is objectionable. We have to protect our eco-sensitive zones. Chennai has shown us that in the name of development, they built on riverbeds, and when there was unseasonal rain, the place got flooded. We are doing the same thing to our eco-sensitive zones. The government is increasing the FAR of so many buildings outside the RP. Because people are looking at the RP, the people are doing it outside. This needs to stop and this needs to be opposed.
Noronha: Without the RP in place, no other plan should be put out. It should be opposed, and the people of Goa will oppose it. Sections of society are ready to take the matter to court.
Fernandes: Even the Supreme Court has said that if something has come up in the villages, let the villagers decide what to do.
Martins: It’s absolutely shameful. We elect a government and it is supposed to act for the people. If we have to go to the court every time, why do we need the government?
Herald: The government can try all that it wants, but if we have enlightened citizens, Goa is in safe hands. At the end of the day, irrespective of all efforts of the government to undermine the will of the people, Goa will not bow down and it will rise above all this.
