PANJIM: Former Chief Town Planner and two NGOs have approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking quashing of the Panjim Outline Development Plan (ODP) and directing Goa Police for an investigation into the manner in which the land use changes were made during preparation of the ODP 2021.
Former CTP Edgar Rebeiro, and NGOs Goa Foundation and Goa Bachao Abhiyan prayed for the relief in a public interest (PIL) filed on Wednesday to challenge the revised ODP notified on December 28, 2016.
“The ODP has been notified in violation of the provisions and processes of the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974. Even if one accepts its legality, the changes carried out therein are in violation of the Regional Plan 2021 and the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations 2010 (GLDBCR, 2010) which are in force. The modified ODP has proof writ large that the State-appointed Planning Authority (PDA) violated its planning brief to solicit and entertain vested interests’ demands for land use changes contrary to public interest and contrary to the objectives, principles and spatial planning norms laid down in the GTCP Act, ’74,” the petition states.
The PIL pointed out that if the impugned changes are allowed to prevail, the original character, identity and functioning of the city of Panjim would deteriorate beyond recognition, and the city and its services would eventually collapse as it will be taken over by real estate developers and speculators with huge number of speculative projects approved on ad hoc basis. The petitioners apprehend that the move will defeat all the opportunities of a planned environment for the citizens and residents of the city and as such, they urge the court to quash and set aside the notified Panjim ODP.
As interim relief, they have sought for a stay of the operation of the impugned notification and order staying the operation of the zoning changes that modify the ODP 2009/2011.
North Goa Planning and Development Authority, Corporation of the City of Panaji, State of Goa through its Chief Secretary, Chief Town Planner, Goa Town and Country Planning Board, Department of Urban Development; former Panjim MLA Siddarth Kunkoliencar, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and R K Pandita of NGPDA are made the respondents in the PIL.
