It’s shameful and sad to see that the time has come for us Goans to think and ponder, whether we have elected the government of the people, for the people and by the people. Simultaneously we have to apply our minds to prove that our Town and Country Planning Ministry is doing their job by taking Goans into confidence.
In 1961, soon after Liberation our golden Goa was seen as having three natural zones, namely, agriculture, orchard and settlement. Leave aside mountains and forests. There were bhatkars and mundkars and Communidades in each and every Goan village. And there was respect, understanding and relationship amongst them. Goans never thought of converting any zone into another zone. Agriculture, orchard and settlement zones were intact in their respective places.
During late Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar’s regime a law was introduced to register mundkars and make them the owner of 300 square metres of land around their dwelling which was in the settlement zone. Similarly Land to the Tiller Act came into existence in the agriculture zone and also a permission was granted to apply for a plan to construct a farmhouse in the orchard land. All this was done for the betterment of the Goans. Everything was going on smoothly.
Now our government is trying to teach us Goans what is agriculture zone, orchard zone and settlement zone. Inspite we Goans have elected the same, based on the policy which says that the government is of the people, for the people and by the people. And the Town and Country Planning Ministry is acting as if it’s has a separate identity. Twice we have seen and heard their harsh and arrogant speeches to get orchard land and agriculture land converted into settlement zone. Their arrogant speeches will be remembered by the Goans for future reference.
First it was in Melauli, and the same we have witnessed in Pernem. In both incidents what has happened is an open book for us Goans.People have shown the government that we want to keep orchard land as orchard land, agriculture zone as agricultural zone and settlement zone as settlement zone. There is no need to convert them.
Goa is a small state of India. We do not need mega projects in Goa. We do not want Goa to transform into another Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point or Marine Drive such as Mumbai in Maharashtra.
So let Goa’s settlement zones, orchard zones and agriculture zones besides CRZ zones, hills, mountains and sand dunes and also forests as they are. Conversion of any zone will not be tolerated. It is time for the government to prove that it is of the people, for the people and by the people and keep Town and Country Planning Ministry in its place. Let Goa be Goa in its originality. Goa is not for sale.
