New political ‘outline’, could see a fresh look at Margao ODP

NESHWIN ALMEIDA

neshwin@herald-goa.com

A lot has changed since the cold winter winds have changed to the hot summer air over the last three months. In December the concern was the ODP of Margao and the various factions blaming each other for how the city was planned for the draft ODP.

On one end was Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai opposing the draft ODP along with co-opted member Dilip Prabhudessai against an ODP finalised by the South Goa Planning Development Authority headed by the then SGPDA Chairman Mauvin Godinho, SGPDA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar and the SGPDA subcommittee then that consisted of Dilip Sopstheswarkar and Vasco based Savio Correia.

“The ODP was finalised without taking the Electricity Department, PWD and the MMC into its fold and there was large scale conversion of settlement zones in commercial areas while no plans were drawn for road widening, laying of sewerage and underground cabling networks and also parking. We objected that plan but now I’m upbeat that Vijai Sardesai is the Town and Country Planning Minister and I hope that the ODP will be taken up immediately and completely resolved,” asserted MMC Chairperson Dr Babita Angle Prabhudessai.

In the course of action and protest then, the Congress spokesperson Avinash Tavares had moved court and the draft ODP has been in limbo since then.

“What is very clear is that the process was incomplete and restarts now. The government has to reconstitute the SGPDA and identify a new chairman and only after that the ODP process will recommence. But my concerns of parking, planning our commercial zones, keeping the green patches of the city will continue and technically, we’re in the Opposition and I will oppose the unnecessary but it’s way too early to consider anything in the ODP now,” stated the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.

In a touch of irony, so typical to Xaxtti politics, the man behind the protest against the ODP, Vijai Sardesai is the Town and Country Planning Minister. He said, “My concern then was that this was a ODP for the people and hence the people and prominent city developers need to be taken into consideration while deciding an ODP.

“My role here is to ensure that all stakeholders speak about their concerns of the ODP and that the MMC is taken into account while finalising the plan.

“Keeping behind my protest, I have urged the PDAs to do a detailed presentation of all the cities of Goa and then I will review what are Margao’s wants and will take the matter from there. There’s also a court case on the ODP and we’ll have to see how that plays,” explained Vijai Sardesai.

The reality is that Goa doesn’t have an RP or ODP finalised since 2001 and hence a lot of people and works are suffering and my immediate concern is to have these plans passed but after the ODP is finalized, he added.