PANJIM: In an attempt to weed out ‘haphazard’ and ‘political favoured’ planning in the Mapusa and Taleigao Outline Development Plans (ODPs) drafted in 2008, the government is identifying unwarranted roads and institutional zones to remove them from the new plan, whose draft will be ready this month end.
The North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) appointed sub-committees to inspect the existing ODP and recommend changes. The authority observed that in both ODPs, there are countless roads and few institutional zones, which do not exist on the ground.
“We have noticed some serious anomalies in the old plans. We are now working towards removing these unwarranted markings, like roads and institutional zones from the new plan,” NGPDA chairman Michael Lobo told Herald.
Lobo said there are instances where roads are marked in the ODPs but on ground it is not feasible to construct them as houses or other constructions already exist. “Similar is the case of institutional zones. They are just marked and kept, wherein there is no such requirement or those areas are settlement areas,” he explained.
The ODPs were drafted in 2008 during the then Congress government when Digambar Kamat was Minister for Town and Country Planning.
Both ODPs were kept open for rectification in July, last year attracting 510 suggestions and objections, which included 270 applications for Taleigao and 240 for Mapusa. Most of the applications received were for conversion of institutional and agricultural land into settlement and for additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
Lobo said drafting of the new ODPs is in the final stage, with the department working toward identifying the areas that can come under the Town and Country Planning scheme. “In the next ten days, the draft plan will be ready and the same will be submitted for government’s approval,” he said.
As reported earlier nearly 20 lakh sq mtrs of land in Mapusa will be notified under Town and Country Planning scheme, wherein the entire land would be developed, in a bid to de-congest Mapusa town. Under this scheme, efforts are on to bring all government land under one roof and expand commercial activities in the town.
In a win-win situation for the government and farmers there, around 35 per cent of the developed land with all basic amenities and infrastructure along with enhanced 250 Floor Area Ratio (FAR) would be given back to farmers.
