PANJIM: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) on Wednesday raised an alarm pointing to the Goa Investment Promotion Act 2014 (IPB) claiming the Act would facilitate violation and deterioration of Goa’s lands and instead of allowing people’s participation would involve keeping power with just a few ministers.
Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, GBA convenor Sabina Martins said that as per para 7, subset 3 of the Act that was notified on August 28, 2014, once areas were demarcated and notified, Acts including the Goa Municipality Act, City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002, the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, the Goa (Regulation of Land Development and Building Construction) Act, 2008, the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974, the Regional Plan, the Outline Development Plan, Land Use Map and the provisions of other local Acts would cease to apply to these notified lands.
Moreover as per the Act, the Chief Minister is the head, while the Information and Technology, Tourism and Industries ministers would be part of the Investment Board along with representatives from several departments. Martins said this move was meant to limit power only to a few ministers.
This she said went against the spirit of people’s participation in deciding development for a village. “The process of drafting of the Regional Plan 2021 included participation at the panchayat level, and this action of power concentration by our elected representatives is unethical. The timing of the gazette notification of the Investment Promotion Board clearly means that opening the Regional Plan 2021 will be done to incorporate old investors who brought in the scrapped RP2011 and were denied entry into it, as well as new entrants,” she said.
The GBA urged people to keep a watch on their neighborhood and villages, “as it becomes clear that people of Goa will not be part of the emerging plan,” Martins added.
GBA secretary Reboni Saha said that people were unaware of the contents of the bill allowing for illegalities to flourish. “To me it doesn’t look legal at all,” she said.
Dean D’Cruz member of the group who worked on the Regional Plan said the act spelt disaster for Goa.
