MARGAO: South Goa Planning and Development Authority has decided to give people and local representatives of Margao and Ponda more time to consult and have a look at the plan on the request of the Chairpersons and MLAs of Ponda, Margao and Vasco. SGPDA also decided to again deliberate on the changes on December 15.
Meanwhile, Sub Committee Member Dilip Prabhudessai, after being under fire, on Wednesday handed a letter of dissent to continue as member of the Sub Committee after which the committee decided to let him go. The SGPDA office on Wednesday saw people, activists, politicians and first citizens of Margao and Ponda demanding that the town representatives be given more time to see the changes done to the ODP and add more suggestions. Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamledar, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, Chairpersons of Margao and Ponda Babita Angle and Radhika Nayak, social activists and others were present at the meeting.
Kamat, speaking to the media, said, “The report of the Sub Committee has to be circulated to the locals and the PDA authority members and hence it is decided that it will circulated now.” Sardesai said that the local administration has not been informed. “We can’t approve the incomplete plan as it does not have ground reality,” Sardesai said.
SGPDA chairman Mauvin Godinho, explaining the authority’s position said, “This is being done in the best interests of the towns. Some departments have failed to respond. We will write to them again and ask for details. For example, PWD has not mentioned some fact on the plan and now we will consult them for additional details.”
Commenting on MMC’s allegation that there was no consultation, he said, “The Sub Committee members were co-opted by the MLAs and appointed by the PDA with an idea to have wider consultation with the locals. Everything has been done transparently and judiciously.”
Speaking on Prabhudessai, Godinho said, “He was co-opted by the Margao and Fatorda MLAs and he suddenly gave a letter to withdraw from the Sub Committee.”
