The disturbing revelation that the Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza was misleading the state with blatantly incorrect information about the number of villages which raised objections to their village plans, as a part of the Regional Plan 2021, is serious on many fronts.
Firstly, it takes the reputation of this beleaguered BJP government, whose dialogue and delivery are worlds apart, on an irretrievable downslide. It shows that not only were the promises made by the previous Chief Minister of allowing the villages to vote on their suggestions a hoax, but that his deputy then and Mr Parsekar’s deputy now, is trying to bring alive a flawed plan through false hood.
Mr D’Souza has – deliberately or otherwise – tried to make Goans believe that since only 8 % of the villages objected to their village plans, the rest of the villages are all clear and there was no need to send any plan to the villages. This was completely contrary to the BJP’s governments assertion in the state assembly that RP 2021 would be de-notifed. Francis D’Souza is attempting to do the exact opposite by bringing the plan to life trough falsification.
Secondly, the Deputy Chief Minister’s wrong information establishes the huge communication gap between the bureaucracy and the Minister. Goa needs to know on what basis did Mr D’Souza, who is also the Town and Country Planning Minister, harp on the figure of 15 villages. The TCP too can’t wash its hands off the mess because it is their department. With the Minster publicly misleading Goa with incorrect figures for over five months, why didn’t the TCP send a single internal note correcting the figures for the minister. Since they chose not to do that, the charge that the TCP too wanted the RP-21 to be brought alive, by hook or crook, sticks. It ultimately took an RTI application to reveal the actual truth.
Thirdly, the information now exposes the extent of the opposition the people Goa have to this version of the Regional Plan, (166 out of 181 villages have objected). This information is the biggest weapon against D’Souza and his governments backroom tactics of forcing a plan down the throats of Goans, when so many village panchayats have raised objections and given inputs. To discount all that completely and bringing back the same plan as it is, is an insult to the people of Goa.
The manner in which the Parsekar government and its Deputy Chief Minister is trying to push the plan, held in abeyance, by its own government is insensitive to the sentiments of the people and the pressing need for planned development.
With all due respect to the Chair of the Dy Chief Minister, he has been caught lying in public about the Regional Plan, giving the impression that the majority of Goa’s villages were good to go with the plan. The truth is the exact opposite.
The Deputy Chief Minister should apologise to the people of Goa, take back all his comments and announce that the Regional Plan would go back to each village and the exercise started to get people’s views, before the plan is amended and released.
