Team Herald
PANJIM: As the opposition for the Greater Panjim Planning and Development Authority (GPPDA) intensifies, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Board on Monday, walked its talk, and decided to constitute a four-member sub-committee to study the merits of the representations received from the village panchayats, objecting inclusion of their villages under planning area.
The committee, headed by TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, March 21, wherein it will hear the grievances raised by the village panchayat of Siridao, Azossim-Mandur and Gancim. Local MLAs, Sarpanchas and two other village representatives will be part of the meeting.
The other members of the committee include TCP Board member and Congress MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Chief Town Planner (CTP) Rajesh Naik and member secretary North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) RK Pandita.
Speaking to reporters post meeting, Sardesai said, “We have received ten representations so far”.
He said that the sub-committee will submit its recommendation to the Board and the Board will take the final decision on all issues and demands. This it learnt includes that of de-notifying some villages form the Greater Panjim PDA.
“In the first meeting we are taking up three villages. We will understand what their case is exactly. Why is that they want the village to be de-notified. We will give them an opportunity to put up their case before us. We will also put TCP’s plan before them,” Sardesai said.
The Minister said that the Board will meet again on April 10 and take stalk of the situation. “We don’t want to delay the issue more,” he said. As many as ten village panchayats that also include St Cruz, Batim, Chimbel, Curca-Bambolim, have raised objection to inclusion of their villages under GPPDA. St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes and St Andre MLA Francis Silveira have tendered their resignation from being member of GPPDA extending support to the villagers.
The villagers have called on for a massive protest against GPPDA on April 6.
