PANJIM: The delay in finalizing the Regional Plan can get much longer. The State will have to wait for the next Legislative Assembly Session for the government to form a House Committee to discuss the modalities for RP, as was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in July.
This issue could now be dragged on for a minimum of three more months – till January, when the Legislative Assembly normally holds it winter session – just for the committee to be formed.
Parrikar had on July 28 announced on the floor of the House that a House Committee would be formed, to discuss and tackle the issues pertaining to Regional Plan 2021, by end of the monsoon session that concluded on August 21.
He had said that five to six legislators would be appointed on the committee after whose views; the process of the land plan for the State would be initiated.
However, no House Committee was formed during that session and now the Chief Minister will have to go back to the Assembly to fulfill his promise. “If a Minister or Chief Minister announces formation of House Committee, then it has to be announced during the Assembly sessions only. It cannot be constituted at the government level,” a senior official of the State Legislative Assembly told Herald.
Officials said that the House Committee on Regional Plan can now be formed only when House is summoned next year in January (winter session) or March (Budget session) or later in the July-August (monsoon session).
The winter session is normally only a week-long session, while the budget session has about 18 to 20 working days. The monsoon sessions are normally the longest.
During the 2012 Assembly election campaign, the BJP had promised to denotify the RP and draft a fresh plan taking into confidence all the stakeholders and local bodies.
Then Goa governor K Shankaranarayan in his introductory speech of the new government on the floor of the House in March 2012 said that the government firmly believed in grassroots planning and participation of people in all development activities. Following this the Chief Minister gave a series of deadlines right from September 2012 to July 2014, either to denotify the plan, or to keep it open for public suggestions or for referendum.
