TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: With a whooping 421 complaints of illegal constructions and violations received by Town and Country Planning department over the last one year, the government is contemplating passing a legislation that will have a penalty that includes imprisonment for violators.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also informed the Assembly about government plans to introduce infrastructure scheme by September, where no permissions or no objection certificates (NOCs) would be granted by government unless basic infrastructure like water, power and road are in place. Government is also planning to increase the number of parking spots for buildings in the cities by amending the Building and Regulation Act.
In two questions raised by Congress MLAs –Digambar Kamat and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Chief Minister admitted that NOCs are granted by PWD and other authorities without verifying the feasibility. “NOCs by PWD have become a casual exercise,” Parrikar commented.
In a question tabled by Kamat, Parrikar said that total 421 complaints have been received by TCP against illegal constructions and violations between January 2013 till March 2014. Responding to the reply, Kamat demanded that stringent laws be put in place to act against the violators.
Chief Minister said that the current TCP Act does not have stringent provisions to stop and act against the illegal constructions and hence government is working out a mechanism. “The violator should be imprisoned so that it will act as a deterrent. Give me two to three months I will address this issue by enacting a new legislation,” he said.
At the same time Parrikar admitted that many a times panchayat bodies delay in giving clearances which make the construction illegal. “Panchayats would be asked to give licenses within 45 to 60 days,” he said.
In yet another question raised by Reginaldo, Parrikar while admitting that the permissions are been given without assessing the ground reality, said ‘henceforth we will ensure that permissions are not given unless the PWD puts on record the feasibility of (construction in) that area and infrastructural details’. He said that by September infrastructure scheme would be introduced, which will spell out proper infrastructural guidelines.
Reginaldo brought to the notice of the House that South Goa Development Agency (SPDA) grants permissions to buildings and commercial projects without carrying out feasibility study, thus affecting the infrastructural requirements.
