PANJIM: Strongly opposing the State government’s Town Planning Scheme in Mapusa, the Bodgeshwar Shetkari Sangh, a farmer’s association has said it will create a casino-like situation in the town.
The Shetkari Sangh members met the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) chairman Michael Lobo and asked him to immediately scrap the scheme.
“There is no clarity on the scheme as to who will benefit from the 33 per cent commercial land, the tenants or the owners,” said Sangh president Sanjay Barde.
He demanded that the scheme be stopped, as they do not trust this government.
“We do not trust this government, as they may create a situation like casinos in Mandovi, in Mapusa,” he said.
Barde sought to know from the NGPDA why the agricultural land has been shown as commercial in the Mapusa ODP.
“We want Mapusa farmers to be part of the committee if the scheme is taken ahead,” he said.
Lobo, assured the farmers that nothing would be done against the wishes of the people. “If the people do not want the scheme, it will not come up,” he said.
The NGPDA chairman informed that there are lot of discrepancies as far as land map is concerned.
“We had marked around 18 lakh sq metres for the town planning scheme but the consultants LKS have found around 66,000 sq metres short,” Lobo said, adding “to rectify this, will take another six months.”
Lobo assured them that the scheme will be taken forward only if the farmers or the owners of the land are satisfied with the proposals.
In order to de-congest Mapusa town, to bring in all the government offices under one roof and to expand commercial activities in the town, the NGPDA has identified around 18 lakh sq metres of land around the Bodgeshwar temple at Mapusa to the Karaswada junction.
The project is titled Town Planning Scheme for Downtown Mapusa (phase 1) and Gaunsavaddo and Kamarkhazan (phase 2)’.
The State government will take possession of the land from farmers and 35 percent of the total developed land with all the basic amenities and infrastructure along with enhanced 250 Floor Area Ratio (FAR) would be given back to them, under Goa’s first-ever town planning scheme for the town.
