Herald: After the regional plan there is another issue that is making news across the state: the Outline Development Plan (ODP). Opening of the ODPs has created a lot of trouble for the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA), other planning and development authorities (PDA) and the BJP government. One more issue which is being discussed right now is the opening of ODPs of areas like Calangute, Baga and Candolim. What are the government’s intentions in opening thee ODPs? Will it turn into a big mess for the government or will it get sympathy. Our panelists for this discussion include: Joseph Sequeira, who is called the ‘chief’ of the Calangute panchayat and is respected across the constituency; Agnelo Fernandes, Congress spokesperson and former Calangute MLA; and the current MLA Michael Lobo, who was accused of opening the ODPs with bad intentions.
Herald: Joseph, what is your take on this decision to keep open the ODPs, especially of Calangute, Candolim and Baga.
Sequeira: First of all, the villagers of Calangute and Candolim were against the formation of a PDA, which they were later put under. Now this ODP is coming in force, which the villagers are also against. The Congress government was there, now the BJP government is there, but nothing has happened. They have not opened it for scrutiny. People are worried about it. If the ODPs are opened, high-rise buildings may come up, a 200 FAR will come. In 2009, from 100 percent FAR we went to 80 percent in Calangute at the time of town planning. Now from 80 we are going to 200 percent. Just see what the load will be on Calangute and Candolim.
Herald: You guys should be happy because the NGPDA chairman is your own MLA. You should have faith in him.
Sequeira: I fully agree with you. And since the BJP government has given him the battle in his hand, we are not against it. Only thing is that we told the BJP government not to put Calangute under the PDA.
Herald: Agnelobab, you have been opposing the ODPs for these areas. Your take?
Fernandes: First of all, this BJP government came to power because the Regional Plan (RP) was one of the issues it said it would tackle. During the last few years, a full exercise has been undertaken by the Calangute and Candolim panchayats with the participation of the gram sabhas, the villagers, and experts, and we identified whatever needs to be done in the village. That is real participation of the people. Three-and-a-half years have passed by now, but they still cannot finalize the RP. What is the ODP going to do which the RP cannot do? Why is the RP in cold storage? I can only say that he (Lobo) helped his builder lobby. He said the width of the main road should be made less – to 15 mts. The village roads he wants to increase to six metres. So he’s going to grab land from villagers and give it to builders in the ODP. That is the only issue.
Herald: So there are two or three allegations against you. One is that you are trying to reduce the width of the main road from 25 mts to 15 mts. Second is that you want to increase the width of internal roads from 3 mts to 6 mts, which means it’s another land-grab issue. Third, when the RP is not in action, you want to base your entire ODP on it. What’s your take?
Lobo: First of all, opening of the ODPs for Calangute-Candolim-Baga (CCB) was only discussed in our meeting. The file has not yet gone to the government because there is one more meeting on July 10. I know the positive aspects of the ODP and the negative aspects because I am from this construction line for many years. But, I will not force anything on the people of CCB, and especially on Goans. I am not a permanent chairman of NGPDA. My term is five years. I may go out in six months, three months or even tomorrow. Before I became an MLA, I was active in politics in Calangute for five years. I was the BJP block president. You tell me whether that main road from Calangute to Sinquerim can be widened to 25 mts. If it’s 25 mts, the width of the road becomes 15 mts or 18 mts, and then there is the right of way. People have built shops, houses, restaurants and many things beside the main road. Should we break them now? Let the people benefit, but let that road be restricted to 15 mts. I am not trying to force anything on the people,
Herald: Michael, I’m asking you a basic question that all of Goa wants to know: are you going to open the ODPs of CCB? Yes or no.
Lobo: As I said, this is only discussed. There is one more meeting on July 10. We will take up this matter with good architects of Goa and decide whether these ODPs should be opened and for what reason. However, I am totally against increasing the FAR or changing any use of land, i.e. from agriculture settlement zones. I am for the people of Calangute constituency and for the people of Goa.
Fernandes: As far as planning in concerned, I’ve seen Michael’s planning. There were two dream circles to be built in North Goa. He built one dream circle in Saligao. He has built another circle of ‘death’ in Arpora. Where is the planning? He cannot do any planning. See the mess that he has created in Arpora.
Sequeira: All shops and houses are being built in the fields.
Herald: Let’s come back to the ODP.
Fernandes: See, the ODP is simple. In Arpora and Parra, where the panchayats are subservient to him, he is bulldozing a way for hotels. I can give you the names of the hotels if you want. He has taken people’s property and broadened the road. People have filed cases against him. Calangute and Candolim he doesn’t do it, and that is why he wants to bring the ODP.
Lobo: These people have allowed haphazard development and allowed hotels and building to come. They did all this and now they’re putting the blame on me. I want to put a sewerage treatment plant in Candolim. Want to make footpaths. Want to give the people better infrastructure. I’m only worried that tomorrow if I’m not there on the chair, these people will open FAR. In the name of ODP, these people are trying to bring in FAR. The allegation against me is that I am opening ODP for CCB only to help the builders.
Herald: The allegation against you is that you are basing your ODP on the RP data. You’re not going for fresh data.
Lobo: Let me be frank. If the authority finally decides to send the ODP to the government, we will also send it to the people.
Fernandes: There has to be a land-use map before you do the ODP. Have you done that?
Sequeira: He is not aware of half of the TCP act or half of the court orders.
Lobo: If the authority decides to open the CCB ODP, then we will go for all those formalities.
Herald: Why not for other ODPs?
Lobo: For other ODPs the land-use maps are already there. Candolim-Calangute-Baga is a new PDA area. It was included in 2014. Not against the wishes of the people. In two months I have regularized more than 30-40 houses. I am going to regularize every house. Through CRZ and now also through PDA, I’ve done it. I’m doing it for the people.
Herald: Joseph, do you doubt the intentions of Michael Lobo?
Sequeira: Yes, very much. Half of Calangute is gone in CRZ, where he (Lobo) can’t do anything about it. He can’t regularize any structure. My point is that he is not aware of the Act. He thinks that he can do anything in Goa. He’s talking even in the Saligao constituency. My advocate was S Nadkarni. Our case was in the high court. 840 houses the panchayat has regularized. Let anyone tell me that even one structure was demolished in that area.
Herald: But Michael says that there are some houses that you have not regularized.
Sequeira: He always says that. But, if he can point out those houses, then I will accept it.
Lobo: Let me clarify on this. Under the 2011 amended notification of CRZ, all the existing houses of the traditional inhabitants of the coast had to be regularized. Setbacks we can relax. Whatever is existing, the PDA can relax, not TCP. I have regularized so many houses and I can show them that. They want all those people to remain under the panchayat so that they can send notices when they want. I want to free the people of CCB. Don’t remain under anybody, not even Michael Lobo.
Fernandes: Four of five weeks ago, a demolition squad from Mapusa came to Candolim to demolish the houses. Whose government is there? Who sent the demolition squad? Can a demolition squad come without telling Michael? He is playing around with the sentiments of the people.
Sequeira: 840 houses were regularized on what basis? It’s because we had records. Where was Michael at that time? He was not born in politics also.
Lobo: What they are talking about is CRZ houses. People have extended their houses; they built one more house that are using for commercial purposes in the tourist season. Those houses can all be regularized under the 2011 notification. The panchayat had given them house numbers. They have NOC, electricity, water – everything is there. Those houses are still irregular and have to be regularized by CRZ first, then by PDA and then by the panchayat. I am not disputing that.
Herald: Joseph, if they keep open this ODP, what will be your stand?
Sequeira: First of all, they are not supposed to do this because the RP still exists. I know the Chief Minister has also signed the documents for the ODP. We will act according to the law. There is a law. It’s not only that Michael or the PDA or the government moves an application and says that this law is binding on you. We have to go to the court. That is the only solution. We went legally even during the Congress regime.
Herald: Agnelo, what’s your stand if the ODP is kept open?
Fernandes: That ODP is a lollipop given to Michael because he was shouting about drugs and prostitution. If you noticed, now he is not shouting anything about drugs and prostitution. Now he is saying there are no foreigners selling drugs because he is protecting them. Now he says only locals are selling drugs. The government is happy. As soon as he starts shouting about the drug mafia again, he will be taken out of PDA. He has to be with the lollipop. I just want you to explain one thing: why do you want to widen the narrow the main road and why do you want to broaden the inner roads.
Lobo: There is no logic in the 25-metre widening you are talking about. Nobody should go ahead and do that road from Calangute to Sinquerim as a 25-metre road because it will destroy our local people. I told you, there are good things and bad things about the ODP. If it is going to be against the people I am never going to touch that ODP. I will not touch the FAR.
Herald: There are some debates where the anchor has a very limited role to play and this is one such debate. We hope that together you can do something good for Calangute constituency.
