RP 2021 process more of real estate plan: CPR
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MARCH 29
The Centre for Panchayati Raj – Peaceful Society has expressed its strong reservations over the recent demands from certain quarters to make public the Regional Plan 2021 which it has described as “nothing but a fraud” on the common man like the earlier RP 2011.
While admitting that the existing Town and Country Planning Act has to be replaced with a new Act which is in consonance with the 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendment, Soter D’Souza, Director of CPR said the very same forces are pushing for the RP 2021 which has been prepared under the existing TCP Act in force. “Such demands seem to be laced with inherent contradictions”.
With provisions like section 16 and 16A in place, with ODPs being independent of the RP, the scourge SEZs and industrial estates and multiple authorities determining the nature of land use under various other Acts, the present RP2021 process is more of a real estate plan than anything else, he alleged.
Soter said the “mere consultation” on the draft RP 2021 which was carried out with village panchayats a year ago cannot be claimed to be participatory planning as envisaged in Article 243 ZD of the Constitution of India.
The recent accusations by the Chief Minister, in certain sections of the media, that Gram Sabhas are demanding huge land conversions which is not acceptable to the government is a mischievous excuse, he stated in a press note issued here.
With no ground rules for that consultation having been put in place and with no prior orientation to the Gram Sabhas on the modalities of village planning, the local political and real estate interests were given a free hand to influence the process and thereby malign the Gram Sabhas as being incompetent, Soter said.
The Centre for Panchayati Raj – Peaceful Society has reiterated that any planning process which does not include the village and municipal area plans prepared under the District Planning Committees is ultra vires of the Constitution.
The haste from certain quarters in pushing for the RP2021 appears to be more of an attempt by vested interests in real estate and industry to subvert the constitutional process of participatory planning by masquerading under various fronts, Soter said demanding that if the government respects the sentiments of the Goan people then it must freeze all land development with immediate effect and only proceed after putting in place adequate laws that will prevent scope for abuses in the future.
The Centre for Panchayati – Peaceful Society has appealed to the public “to exercise caution and not be overwhelmed by forces with sinister designs in pushing through the RP 2021 without a proper and just legal frame work on land use being in place”.
It may be recalled that Goa Bachao Abhiyan has been demanding early finalization of RP2021.
