MARGAO: Concerns loom large over the proposed draft outline development plan (ODP) 2031, as a large section of citizen objections still remain unaddressed by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA).
A group of concerned citizens, led by Jack Mascarenhas under the banner, Goyche Fudle Pidke Khatir (GFPK), had submitted a detailed list of 28 objections to the draft ODP. These objections ranged from environmental concerns, improper land use, lack of public consultation, and potential violation of planning guidelines. The group was invited to two hearings with the authorities, where they physically showed the locations of their objections and explained each one in detail.
The authorities have yet to respond to these objections.
In the meantime, the draft ODP has been finalised by the SGPDA and subsequently notified by the town and country planning (TCP) board without any response provided to the group on its objections. This has raised concerns about the transparency of the process and the potential impact of a defective and lacking plan for the state’s commercial capital.
To gain more information, the group filed an RTI request. However, more than 45 days have passed since the application, and the authorities have yet to provide any information.
This delay has only exacerbated the group’s concerns.
GFPK expressed its concerns about the slow pace of making this information public. “We pointed out that the draft ODP will last for 10 years, and any issues not addressed now could have long-term impacts on the town. We highlighted that the group’s objections were not considered, despite their collective citizen effort to study the draft ODP properly. We also expressed obvious possibilities that the authorities might start giving permissions based on the notified ODP before the group finds out whether their suggestions were considered,” said GFPK president, Mascarenhas.
The group is now calling for greater transparency in the planning process and for their objections to be seriously considered. They demand that the SGPDA should immediately scrap ODP 2031 and plan for sustainable development of Margao according to national guidelines.
The group’s efforts highlight the importance of public participation in urban planning processes and the need for authorities to take citizens’ concerns into account. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the authorities will respond to these concerns and what impact ODP 2031 will have on the future of Margao.
“The town cannot be an experimental ground for land use speculators and the authorities who conveniently forget their mandate and duties, as land use changes are not reversible and Margao will have to bear this brunt for posterity,” Mascarenhas added.
Incorporated public suggestions, says SGPDA chairperson
When SGPDA chairperson Krishna Daji Salkar was asked about the fact that activists had raised objections, he denied that they were not granted a hearing and claimed that the sub-committee that had been formed for responding to such feedback had done a thorough job of incorporating the suggestions made by the public after holding an extensive number of individual hearings.
Salkar even added that those who had concerns should be happy that the draft ODP had been rectified.
During the recent assembly Session, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat had opposed any move to reopen the finalised ODP and said every time the plan is finalised, there will be calls to reopen it, which would result in a scenario where the plan never gets finalised.
Kamat, who is also an SGPDA board member, added that the notified plan can’t be reopened for the next 10 years according to the law and expressed satisfaction that the new plan was proper, played down concerns expressed by citizens.
