Team Herald
PANJIM: The Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) has reiterated its demand to de-notify the Planning and Development Area (PDA) and the draft Outline Development Plan (ODP), failing which it has threatened to intensify the protest against the anti-people policies.
Addressing media persons on Thursday, CCF president Premanand Diukar said they have been fighting the government’s draconian act of imposing PDAs and OPDs on the people of Calangute, which are created in order to push the agenda of elected representatives.
“We condemn the State government act of going ahead with PDA and ODP despite severe opposition from the people of Calangute, Candolim, Parra, Arpora and Nagoa. The villagers have strongly opposed inclusion of their villages under PDA,” he said.
Diukar said that the Calangute gram sabha had even resolved against a PDA and ODP, despite which the government went ahead and approved both. “We don’t want PDA and ODPs as they are not in the interest of public. We reiterate our demand that both should be de-notified failing which we will intensify our fight,” he said.
CCF vice president Benedict D’Souza accused the local MLA and chairman of North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) Michael Lobo of forcing the ODP on the people, saying the plan has been done without considering the ground reality and sans expertise.
He pointed out how a large number of plots have been converted in the ODP and fields shown as settlement. “MLA said that PDA and ODP will help government to regularise the structures. I want to know, how many structures have been regularised till date,” D’Souza said.
The activist pointed out that he had informed MLA and locals that the regularisation of the structures can be undertaken as per the Goa Regulation of Unauthorized Construction Act.
