MARGAO: Citizens of Margao are upset that despite multiple requests made to the government, including a petition to the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA), they have been denied a public presentation on the Master Plan for Margao and threatened to protest at the Lohia Maidan as the government was taking them for granted.
They charged that the authorities were not transparent with the Master Plan and the way it was kept out of the public domain only speaks volumes of their ‘sinister designs’. They have also questioned why the Master Plan 2041 is being kept out of their reach at a time when it should have incorporated the views of the public too.
Moreover, considering that the South Zone part of the Master Plan envisions development in an area near the railway station that is presently being cultivated by farmers, the locals added that it’s all the more urgent for the authorities to show transparency regarding these development plans for the town.
Farmers from Rawanfond have already petitioned the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to reclassify their fields in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) from a commercial zone to an agricultural zone. The ODP has been finalized by the SGPDA and sent to the Town and Country Planning (TCP Board) for approval.
It is to be noted that farmer’s groups from Fatorda have also demanded clarity regarding the master plan to confirm if their fields would be taken up for development works as per the Master Plan.
While the citizens welcomed the statements made by Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane that the public would be taken into confidence regarding the Master Plan, they emphasized that these assurances need to be reflected on the ground and they should be given a presentation about the plan at the earliest.
Questions have also been raised regarding the feasibility of certain proposals in the Master Plan given the infrastructure constraints across the town.
