PANJIM: The North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) on Wednesday granted its nod to the re-worked Mapusa Outline Development Plan (ODP), which has included the 5.59 lakh sq mtrs of Housing Board colony at Colvale and Central Jail as part of the ODP.
The NGPDA meeting approved the revised Mapusa ODP that will now be sent to the government for approval. The NGPDA-appointed sub-committee – appointed to inspect the existing ODP and recommend changes — submitted the final plan to the authority.
“Authority has approved the revised plan and the same will be submitted to the government in the next two days,” NGPDA chairman Michael Lobo told Herald.
The sub-committees made various changes after it observed that there were roads and few institutional zones, which do not exist on the ground. While there are places where roads are marked, the ground reality shows that the area does not require roads or they do not subsist, several settlement zones were marked as institutional. “The plan has tried to weed out haphazard and politically favoured planning,” he said.
In a bid to facilitate additional floor area ratio (FAR) for residential and commercial pockets, the 5.59 lakh sq mtrs of Housing Board colony at Colvale has been included in the ODP along with recently commissioned Central Jail.
The draft ODP has allowed increase in FAR from the existing 80 percent to 100 percent for residential pockets and 200 percent for the commercial sector in the Housing Board. Inclusion of the Housing Board colony area under ODP will help Goa Housing Board go ahead with its proposal to construct 2000 affordable flats.
On the other hand, the sub-committee on Taleigao ODP is still in the process of drafting the revised plan. The committee, headed by Panjim MLA Siddharath Kuncolienkar will meet next week to scrutinise and decide on the various suggestions it has received.
