Agonda workshop focuses on sustainable development

Agonda workshop focuses on sustainable development
HERALD NEWS BUREAU
PANJIM, JAN 9
Agonda Panchayat organised a two-day workshop on January 8 and 9 focusing on economic development, sustainable tourism, and planning and design guidelines.
The workshop marked the renewal of the Panchayat’s and community’s commitment towards sustainable development and sent a positive message by leading the way in participatory planning.
This initiative could serve as a pilot model project to build and strengthen the capacities of other Panchayats to meet the objectives of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments.
The workshop was organised in association with the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), and facilitated with help of Goa College of Architecture of Panaji (GCA), and Pratt Institute of New York which is recognised for its environmental and community-based planning programmes.
Undeterred by the recent notification of the Regional Plan which neglected the input provided by the Panchayat, Sarpanch Milagrina Fernandes invited the participants to determine the parameters for sustainable development.
Last year, the community developed a vision for Agonda and guiding principles for sustainable development which are summarised in a framework report available online at www.sustainabledevelopmentworks.com.
Substantiating those efforts, this year the focus was on identifying ways to protect Agonda’s tangible and intangible natural and built heritage, while simultaneously exploring economic development opportunities in appropriately diversified sectors besides tourism.
Students from GCA and Pratt Institute conducted interactive exercises to draw information from the participants and assisted with the development of recommendations. The economic development exercises focused on exploring employment opportunities in Agonda.
The sustainable tourism exercises focused on capacity building through a stewardship programme relying on voluntary rules and responsibilities for all stakeholders. The Planning and Design Guidelines work group focused on land-use characterisation, green-infrastructure including traffic and pedestrian circulation, and solid-waste management policies and programme.
It was noted that there are many levels of engaging a community ranging from ‘simply informing the public’ to ‘empowering and collaborating with stakeholders as partners’. The former may be viewed as a form of ‘Tokenism’. ‘Participatory Planning’ strives for the latter.
Towards that goal, the Panchayat organised two days of ward-level meetings to explain the process and invite everyone to the workshop.
Besides listing problems and needs, the participants tackled the subject of Agonda’s identity and perceived image.
There was a strong sentiment about maintaining the village character protecting its natural environment. Any sustainable tourism programme must position Agonda appropriately, conveying a clear and consistent message in all media and marketing materials.
Communicating expectations and cultivating stewardship promotes a healthy tourism experience for all involved including the residents, the tourism industry work force and the visitors.
At the workshop, it was pointed out that decision makers need to be able to evaluate several alternatives and the associated environmental impacts before incorporating them within a Plan.
The outcome must be monitored and evaluated against the original intent. Plans may be modified periodically to meet the stated intent and stay current with changing conditions.