Team Herald
MARGAO: Raising serious concerns, social activists on Wednesday alleged that the government wants to destroy Goa by implementing the amended Goa Land Development and Building Construction (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Act.
On Wednesday, in a bid to implement the amended Goa Land Development and Building Construction (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Act, the State government invited public suggestions and objections within 30 days for the finalisation of the draft regulations.
Social activist Abhijit Prabhudesai said a preliminary review of the proposed amendments show that TCP Department only wants to dilute the laws only for the rich people to construct large hotels, polluting industries and commercial buildings.
"Instead of protecting what is left in Goa or preparing for the climate crisis, the TCP Department wants to kill us,” he alleged.
“This is a criminal and genocidal step towards extinction of our species, taken by those blinded by greed and hatred for their own children", he alleged.
Similarly, J Santano Rodrigues, Chairman of Curtorim Biodiversity Committee alleged that the government is trying to impose the laws on the people, without taking into consideration what the people at grassroots level want.
"Actually, before implementing the amended Goa Land Development and Building Construction (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Act, the government should have put in place the planning at the district-level, but it is shocking to note that the TCP has adopted the scheme of going from top to bottom, instead of bottom to top,” Rodrigues said.
"The above amendment in the Act is only to benefit a few, and sidelining the plans at the panchayat and municipality levels. What is the use of plans at PDA and District Planning Committee level? And more especially all the efforts of preparing the Regional Plan?” questioned Rodrigues.
He is of the opinion that the government should have put in place the plans at the grassroots level, before trying to implement the amended Act.
"As required by Section 5 of the said Act, a notice is hereby given for information of all the persons likely to be affected thereby that the said draft regulations will be taken into consideration by the government after expiry of a period of 30 days from the date of publication of the notification in the Official Gazette", said James Mathew, Chief Town Planner.
The Public Notice states that all objections and suggestions to the said draft regulations may be forwarded to Chief Town Planner, before the expiry of the said period of 30 days from the date of publication.