TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) is planning a total revision of the outline development plans (ODPs) for Panjim, Taleigao and Mapusa, officials said, following growing public criticism to plans on opening outline development plans (ODPs) for minor corrections and rectifications last year.
The NGPDA on Friday moved a note to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department to seek the government’s advise for total revision after it received more than 500 applications, which it claims, does not fit within the guidelines specified for effecting minor changes, corrections and rectifications. The TCP had issued orders earlier to rectify errors on facts or court orders.
“We have a note from NGPDA asking for advice. We will go through it,” TCP chief S T Putturaju told the media.
“The government is very clear on its stand on rectifications. As far as ODP is concerned, role of government is limited – it is as a guiding force. The mind of the government is very clear, it will not allow things to go in the wrong direction,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, according to available data, the authority received 123 applications for changes in Panjim ODP, 95 for Mapusa and 137 for Taleigao.
NGPDA officials say that on preliminary scrutiny of these applications it was found that most of these applications are not covered under the guidelines issued in the notification for corrections, rectifications in the ODPs published on November 8, 2012.
“It appears that there is a need for revision of the ODPs to clear out the mess created in the earlier ODPs,” NGPDA Chairman Michael Lobo said, adding that he was of the view that many applications do have merit.
Some are for consideration of change in zoning from settlement to orchards, institutional zone to orchard, for consideration of certain zones as settlement etc.
“In many cases the appeals are genuine and there is need to verify these cases,” claimed Lobo.
He said that if required the NGPDA will not hesitate to freeze paddy fields which were classified as settlement zones and revert them as paddy fields.
“More than 50 per cent are still in the process of being converted and wherever construction licenses have not been issued these areas can be frozen,” he explained.
Lobo said there was need to revise the ODPs taking on board non governmental organizations (NGOs) for the exercise and considering their complaints, concerns and advice in the matter.
“What the notification of December 8, 2012 proposed to do was only to effect corrections in certain cases pertaining to roads in certain areas which were not practically feasible,” he said.
Lobo said that there is no need for NGOs to get worked up as whatever minor corrections on technical grounds are being effected are based on court orders issued from time to time.
“Let us go through the entire process of looking at ODPs and sort out the mess in the public interest,” he said reiterating that he will not allow anything that is wrong to go uncorrected.
