TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Congress party has slammed the government for its decision to include Calangute and Candolim villages under the North Goa Planning and Development Authority, demanding the immediate withdrawal of this notification, terming the move anti-people.
Addressing media persons Wednesday, former Congress Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes said that the BJP government’s decision to include Calangute and Candolim under the PDA, despite opposition from locals, clearly shows that the move is anti-people and pro-builders and real estate developers who are close to the party.
“The decision has been taken, at the behest of the local MLA (Michael Lobo), with an eye to satisfy the needs of big builders, who have purchased large (tracts of) lands for development along the coast,” he said.
Fernandes, who is also a former chairman of the PDA, pointed out that the village panchayats and gram sabhas of Calangute and Candolim had passed unanimous resolutions opposing the inclusion of their villages into the PDA and the same was also forwarded to the State government.
“Even Congress, during its term had included both these villages in the PDA. However, following severe opposition from the locals, the notification was withdrawn,” he said, adding that the current move will transfer all the developmental powers from the panchayats to the PDAs.
The Congress leader also alleged that government plans to change the zoning in these villages to C1 and C2. Under C1, the FAR would be 100 percent while in C2 the FAR will be between 150 to 200 percent which will tremendously benefit builders, he said.
Fernandes also stated that the move was against the mundkars, since in a PDA area (city) the mundkar gets only 200 sqm of land while in a village he gets 300 sqm.
The former Calangute MLA said that the villagers are planning to move the court against the government’s decision.
As per the notification issued on January 15, the limits of the PDA are from Baga creek to the borders of Arpora-Nagoa panchayat in the north, Arabian Sea in the west, River Mandovi in the south and Saligao, Pilerne-Marra and Nerul in the west.
