Team Herald
PORVORIM: With a focus on drafting the new Regional Plan for the horizon year 2031, the State government on Wednesday introduced the Goa Town and Country Planning (amendment) Bill on the floor of the House, which proposes to put in place new concepts like accommodation reservation’, ‘transferable development rights (TDR)’and ‘transferable development rights for posterity’.
The Bill, tabled by Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijai Sardesai also enables the government to consider applications for change in zone under RP21.
“Major infrastructural developments are taking place in the form of highway development and new international airport, etc. Census 2011 was published subsequent to the notification of RP21. The government therefore, contemplates to prepare RP for a longer prospective year of 2031, as the RP 21 itself is slowly become obsolete,” the Bill states.
The Bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the Goa Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1974, so as to introduce new definitions ‘accommodation reservation’, ‘TDR’ and ‘TDR for posterity’. “New planning tools like accommodation reservation and TDR are in vogue in many states which will help the government in acquiring the land for public purpose with consent of the owner thereof,” it states.
The Bill stated that the new RP needs to be prepared by using new planning techniques like TDR for posterity and incentivization for people who hold their land green and without development and for conservation and preparation of natural and built heritage.
“The Bill further seeks to amend Section 11, 30 and 32 so as to facilitate the preparation of RP, Outline Development Plan (ODP) and Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) by using the new techniques contained in the said new definitions,” the Bill reads.
The Bill introduces a new section namely, Section 41 A for acquisition of land according a TDR and Section 41B for transfer of land and amenity by way of accommodation reservation and Section 41C for providing methods to preserve lands from construction by withdrawing development rights of properties, which needs to be preserved and allotting it to another location which is more suitable for development by way of TDR for posterity.
“There are mismatches in RP 2001 vis-à-vis-RP21 as many of the areas classified under RP 2001 are not in settlement zones as per RP21. There are many cartographical errors and the new proposals like micro industrial zones, garbage management sites, disaster management sites are not feasible,” the Bill stated.
“Pending the preparation of new RP2031, it is required to bring about a provision in the Act to enable the government to consider application for change of zone. Hence Clause 4 of the Bill, seeks to achieve this objective,” the Bill mentions.
The Bill also seek to amend Section 140 of the said the Act for empowering the government to frame rules on certain matters.
