Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza has done more in his first month as TCP minister than his predecessor Manohar Parrikar did in two and a half years, towards giving Goa a just, honest and contemporary Regional Plan. Though in tangible terms nothing really has happened, but we, for the first time, have a TCP minister who is sounding serious about enacting the most fundamental document based on which specific land use documents can be made, the Regional Plan.
While he waits for Mr Parrikar’s “guidance” on this issue today, when a meeting had been set up, Francis D’Souza has chosen the common sense pragmatic approach, which has two critical attributes- simplicity and practicality. The Deputy Chief Minister has suggested that it would be prudent to take the plan meant for 2021 to 2025 and do an exercise which will last longer and cover the full term of the plan. Normally plans are made keeping a ten year time frame. The 2021 Regional Plan, even if implemented in the middle of 2016 will have five and a half years of life left which is far too little for a planned exercise. Also one must take into account that the Regional Plan of 2021 “notified” and then kept on hold has been left hanging for almost three years.
There is no doubt that the basics of an exercise already done cannot be discarded in totality. But before finalising the plan, a 2025 perspective needs to be taken which may result in a mini exercise of mapping planning needs for 2025.
The Deputy Chief Minister also made certain other observations which makes us wonder why the issue was kept in cold storage by Mr Parrikar for such a long time. He said that he was informed by officials of the Town and Country Planning department that of the total 189 village panchayats, 15 have raised strong and severe objections to the plan. “That means 174 VPs have no objections. So, we need not have to put the plan before the public entirely,” he stated.
While this can be challenged because as time has passed, more developments have taken place and people in the villages have had a chance to study their village plans and come up with more objections, Mr D’Souza’s fundamental point has merit. If we take 15 village panchayats as the original list of villages which raised objections, the plan could have, at the very least been kept in these 15 villages. Nothing stopped the Manohar Parrikar administration from doing so.
What follows is that if it was the case of 15 villages, then Mr Parrikar’s oft repeated reasoning that he did not have the time to address the issue because of the more pressing need to address the mining crisis, does not stand the test of reason.
If frankness is the sign of seriousness, Francis D’Souza is showing positive intent. As he said “The implementation of the plan- RP 21, notified in 2012, has dragged on for the last two years Hence, it would be wise to make the plan till 2025”
Mr Parrikar on the other hand not only refused to act on the suspended plan of 2021 but responded to questioning regarding the delay in implentation with a cryptic “ I am doing this for the benefit of Goa. Sometimes no decision is the best decision”
In doing so he went against his assurances on the floor of the House as well as the Governor’s speech in his first address to the Assembly where he announced that the Regional Plan of 2021 would be de-notified.
What should be done is to think out of the box by placing the plans for each taluka before the people for a re-examination. Each village should be asked to form a committee of knowledgeable people by the gram sabha to study their village plan. Specific recommendations in order of importance, and not more than ten in number, can be put forth to a district committee. The district committee can then meet a specially constituted task force which should then weigh these objections against the Draft Regional Plan of 2021 and not the notified final plan. It is widely accepted that the Draft RP 2021 was the unadulterated plan which had the stamp of approval of town planners like Dr Edgar Ribeiro. The task force should then study these objections and work towards a plan which will be valid till 2025.
The Deputy Chief Minister should be supported in his efforts and helped and guided by grass root experts.
