The move has effectively removed the control of the Calangute village Panchayat on planning. The Panchayat has been dominated by Joseph Sequeira, long time arch rival of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo. Lobo is the chairman of the North Goa PDA.
According to the notification, under sub-sections (1) and (2) of Section 18 of the Goa Town
and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975), the Government declared Candolim and Calangute as planning area with specified limits. The schedule says the area limits are the Baga creek and the villages Arpora-Nagoa and the River Mandovi and Arabian Sea.
The government had recently cleared the proposal to bring Calangute and Candolim under the North Goa Planning and Development Authority. This implies that building plans for these two villages will be passed by NGPDA instead of the respective panchayats. The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department will also give the NOCs.
This also means the government will have an upper hand in deciding on the development work in these two villages. After the notification, the Calangute PDA office will be in Calangute itself.
The move was bitterly opposed by Sequeira, since he perceived it was done by his rival Lobo.
