THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The 16(b) of the Town and Country Planning Act and 17 (2) amendments to the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010 proposed by a notification are going to spell death for Goan lands. 26 NGOs- warriors who have termed the proposed amendments as illegal and unconstitutional, have joined those who have already commenced the movement in a major show of solidarity among organisations and people, which is beginning to resemble the Regional Plan movement which peaked during the historic July 7, 2007 rally at Azad Maidan.
It was this meeting which finally escalated all Goa people's swell against the Regional Plan, which led to its eventual scrapping.
The High Court will soon give its verdict on the petition challenging the 16(b) amendment of the TCP Act while a decision has already been taken to oppose the 17(2) amendment of the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010.
Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation said, “The 16 (b) amendment was challenged and now they have brought 17 (2). This amendment is being brought in claiming that there were errors of non-inclusion of roads and classification of lands. We had challenged 16(b) we will challenge 17 (2) as well. People need to know that this is not planning. The Town and Country Planning Department is working contrary to the interest of Goa.”
Abhijit Prabhudesai of Federation of Rainbow Warriors said, “When we went through the amendments we realised that this is a plan to destroy Goa. In this amendment, the lands that were protected under Regional Plan will be allowed to get permission for big projects.”
He said, “The amendment will allow construction on huge tracts of forests, agricultural areas. This is nothing but a strategy to finish the poor Goans. The provision of regularising houses above 500 sq mtrs will sideline the small Goan houses and allow large houses of capitalists businessmen to be regularised.”
Urban Planner Tahir Noronha said, “It is just shocking to me that the government even after getting over 2,000 objections has still gone ahead with the amendment which is nothing but the 16 (b) which was opposed earlier.”
“As the chorus against this amendment is increasing, there is a strong consensus to take Goa’s planning back to the villages and draw watertight village development plans first as the foundation of all planning. We don’t want the TCP Department sitting in Panjim to decide how our ward in Parra will be developed”, said Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation, one of the spearheads of the legal fight back for the people.
He said that if villages and Zilla Parishads are involved in planning, you don’t even need the Town and Country Planning Department.
