Team Herald
PANJIM: North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) on Tuesday decided to keep open the Outline Development plan (ODP) of Panjim for review. The plan was drafted in 2008. The authority has also resolved to recommend to the government to make it mandatory to have double-floor parking for upcoming commercial and residential projects in Panjim and Mapusa.
NGPDA at its meeting on Tuesday morning held under the chairmanship of Michael Lobo also constituted two sub-committees for the review of the Taleigao and Mapusa ODPs, which have been kept open for public suggestions and objections. So far 175 suggestions and objections have been received for the two ODPs, with the last date for this being July 17.
Addressing media persons, Lobo said the authority has decided to review the Panjim ODP, which might see major changes in the plan. “The letter in this regard will be sent to the government by Wednesday,” he said.
Lobo said that following the High Court order in 2012, NGPDA had decided to keep Panjim ODP open for minor corrections, but was then kept on hold following objections.
“We expect the plan to see major changes,” Lobo said. The Town and Country Planning Department (TCP) had last month kept the Panjim ODP, restricted to the Raj Bhavan jurisdiction, open for review for declaring it a conservation zone.
In a bid to resolve the unending parking woes, NGPDA has proposed mandatory two-floor parking for new commercial and residential buildings, without any increase in floor area ratio (FAR).
“Parking is a major issue in Panjim and Mapusa, hence we have decided to recommend to the government to make double-floor parking compulsory for new projects. This would be without any increase in FAR,” Lobo said.
In another decision, NGPDA constituted sub-committees for review of Taleigao and Mapusa ODPs. The sub-committee for Taleigao will be headed by Panjim MLA Siddharat Kuncolienkar with Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate and one Deepak Mhapsekar as members. The Mapusa sub-committee will be chaired by NGPDA member Franky Carvalho with Panjim Mayor Shubham Chodankar and one Girish Uskaikar as members.
“The committee will prepare a map on the current land usage in their respective jurisdictions, which will be followed by a physical site inspection based on suggestions and objections raised by the people,” Lobo said. He reiterated that in many places settlement zones are marked as orchard or industrial zone and vice versa.
The process will take at least two months, after which the draft ODP would be made public, Lobo said.
