It’s reliably learnt that Ira Exotica Private Limited, a Rajasthan based conglomerate is an above board corporate intending to do business in Goa. The trouble is the way Goa does business in the nether zone of two Regional Plans, when projects are passed in areas meant to be protected from construction. In the Curtorim project, the paper trail makes it clear (reported by us in this edition) that a series of Goan officers in the Town planning department cleared the project, till it went to the Chief Town Planner, incidentally from out of the state, who too cleared it. However the person, who actually raised serious reservations about the project was the Principal Secretary, Parimal Rai, an IAS officer, who has no vested interest of any sort in Goa.
Rai noticed what other Goan officers ignored. That the Regional Plan 2021 had earmarked most of the property as a no settlement zone with only a fraction as settlement. The property had steep slopes but at the same time, the Town Planner who initiated the note, said that some slopes were gentle and hence permissible. Thirdly Principal Secretary TCP Parimal Rai, pointed out that the road access had not been granted and the land acquisition process was not complete for road widening, when the technical clearance was sought. (and subsequently granted).
His reservations were bypassed by a Goan Chief Minister who approved the project albeit with ‘strict pre-conditions’. Interestingly one of the so called pre conditions of giving a technical clearance, involved an action that would take place much later, the issuance of a completion certificate. That would be done only after an internal road was built. Please note that the technical clearance would be given with the condition of a mere assurance that the road would be built as an access. This is exactly what Parimal Rai was objecting to. The second condition of obtaining a conversion sanad for commercial purpose was also put but the principal doubt about the legality of the project- whether it was indeed in the right zone as per RP 2021 was not even addressed and the Technical clearance given.
This brings us to the basic question of why project after project, the TCP’s interest is more of a facilitator for those who want to build, than a watchdog of Goa’s interests. While some may argue that this approach is positive, if industry and investment have to come into Goa, should it be at the cost of some fundamentals that Goa seeks to protect, envisaged not in some dream but in concrete like in the Regional Plan? The very document that can protect Goa’s interest, has been made hostage and locked in the recesses of the TCP so that it doesn’t come in the way of the governments moves in facilitating construction, which by the way is not the same as doing development.
And what about the role of the Chief Minister who is importantly, also the Town and Country Planning Minister. When he signs the note of conditional approval within 48 hours of his TCP Secretary, Parimal Rai, seeking more clarity since it (the land use of the project) is against RP 2021, it is natural to believe that the Chief Minister too was in a hurry. He agreed to the specific words of the note moved by the Town Planner “if agreed, the technical clearance could be granted for the Hotel Project as proposed” subjects to conditions.
What would the Government have lost if the Technical Clearance was held till the clarifications sought by Principal Secretary Rai, were made?
Moreover since this was the first project of its kind, in a hinterland village of Curtorim, shouldn’t the government have taken additional care to ensure that the villagers endorsed the project. Thirdly, since land was acquired for road widening, it needs to be asked if villagers who agreed to give up land for road widening knew what the project was for.
This isn’t about permitting development to come into Goa. But it’s about preventing unauthorized construction in a fragile eco-sensitive area, by not making full disclosures to the local population. This is the actual selling of Goa by Goans and not the mere sale of land for a project.
