SUNDAY, MAY 05, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: A massive crowd descended upon the Grace Church Hall in Margao, for the public meeting organised by Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) even though the venue was changed at the last minute.
The gathering took an oath to fight to save their land from unchecked development enabled by the impugned amendments and vowed to be part of Goa's fight to preserve its ecology and sustainable development.
The attendees unanimously passed several resolutions condemning recent amendments to the TCP Act and demanding their immediate revocation.
The key demands put forward were the revocation of amendments 17(2), 39A, 17D, and all land conversions made under them. The resolutions insisted that planning areas like ODPs and other zoning areas must adhere to the criteria of a single master plan in force. The resolutions called for regional planning processes to involve public participation as per constitutional rights. They stressed the need for planning to be aligned with environmental protections as per the Sustainable Development Goals.
The resolutions demanded the revocation of the tenure extension granted to Chief Town Planner (CTP) Rajesh Naik. They called for his suspension and an inquiry into alleged dereliction of duty and corruption.
These resolutions will be sent to the Prime Minister's Office, Governor of Goa, Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, TCP Minister and Secretary, Personnel Secretary, Leader of Opposition and the High Court (HC).
The speakers criticised the 'unscientific and unconstitutional' amendments for facilitating arbitrary land conversions without considering ecological factors.
Sabina Martins, GBA Convenor, said that the Regional Plan 2021, drawn up with public participation and recognising eco-sensitive zones, has been undermined by TCP Department changes that conflict with environmental laws and constitutional mandates. The amendments deny citizens their constitutional right to public involvement in environmental planning and ignore sustainability principles despite India's SDG commitments. Amendments like 168, 17(2), and 39A were criticised for allowing piecemeal zoning changes for private interests through a fee-based model, disregarding eco-sensitive factors like water security, food production, and biodiversity impacts. Martins stated that steep slopes, fields, orchards, and forests are being converted without considering the impact on the area's future water or food security. Amendment 39A removed the 'public interest' criteria from zoning changes, questioning the TCP Act's relevance as the government's responsibility to citizens. Martins added that these amendments enable random zone changes, treating some citizens as more equal than others based on fees, violating fundamental rights.
Speakers also raised concerns about Amendment 17D, which allows any area to be declared a zoning area without qualifying criteria. This, coupled with the removal of criteria linking ODPs to the RP2021, they feared could lead to a future of unregulated urban fiefdoms ignoring environmental planning principles.
The crowd targeted the CTP for alleged incompetence and corruption in permitting land use changes threatening Goa's future, including issuing clearances for suspended ODPs of Calangute-Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa and Parra, which were struck down by the High Court.
The allegations included outsiders getting overnight permissions for massive changes like settlement zone conversions, hill cutting, CRZ violations, and groundwater depletion, while locals wait over a year for small house approvals. Specific examples cited were illegal constructions in Pomburpa and Sancoale, Old Goa violations, non-Goan builders misusing farmhouse laws by posing as farmers, commercial development of a protected Pilerne lake, the Bhoma highway expansion agitation, opposition to Margao ODPs, and destruction around Mopa airport post-construction. TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane and Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira faced criticism.
The speakers targeted four groups: government officials accused of lobbying for influential outsiders to easily buy land and construct disregarding laws, while locals struggle for approvals; politicians publicly opposing projects but covertly enabling non-transparent land conversions with manipulated approved plans; Goans selling land for profits; and those leaving ancestral properties due to hassles of fighting for rights. Speakers like Dhiren Phadte, Swapnesh Sherlekar, Anthony da Silva, Sanjay Naik, Jack Mascarenhas, Saby Fernandes, Solando da Silva, Kishore Naik Gaonkar, and Zarinha da Cunha touched upon these issues.
