PANJIM: Following allegations by activists that the Pernem Zoning Plan was drafted mainly to benefit builders and the real estate lobby rather than the people, the State government on Sunday extended the date for submitting suggestions and objections to the controversial plan by another 30 days.
Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters that suggestions and objections, which have already been received, will be scrutinised.
A Joint Secretary level officer will assist the TCP department in the process, he said.
Rane said representations have been received from Mandrem MLA Pravin Arlekar, former MLA Dayanand Sopte and former Union Minister Ramakant Khalap too.
The TCP Minister said the suggestions and objections will be scrutinised by an expert committee along with an international consultant.
The committee and the consultant will speak to village panchayats from Pernem taluka, he said.
The zoning plan will be presented in detail before the village panchayats, Rane added.
The Geographic Information System (GIS) based Pernem zoning plan prepared by the TCP Department has evoked mixed reactions in the Pernem taluka with the local MLA Arolkar and other activists alleging that it was drafted mainly to benefit builders and the real estate lobby rather than the people and had demanded to scrap it.
The villagers had also demanded extension of time to submit their suggestions and objections alleging that the Pernem deputy town planner was visiting the office twice a week and the plan was accessible to them only during his presence.
The villagers had even threatened to block the Chopdem-Siolim bridge if their demands to extend the time for suggestions and objections were not met.
The Mandrem MLA had also demanded not to impose the zoning plan on the people of Pernem but to start a consultation process from bottom to top while preparing the zoning plan.
Following a public meeting at Mandrem last Sunday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had assured the people of Pernem to take them into confidence before finalising the zoning plan and to make it available for the public at all the village panchayats, Pernem Municipal Council and in the TCP office at Pernem.
Sawant had also called upon the people to submit their suggestions and objections if any and that these suggestions and objections will be taken into consideration before finalizing the zoning plan.
Ruling out scrapping of the draft zoning plan, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane had too stated that the plan will be finalised after considering the suggestions and objections given by the people to the department.
