No eco-tourism zones in Ponda, Quepem RPs

No eco-tourism zones in Ponda, Quepem RPs
But industrial zones, yes
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, FEB 21
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said that the regional plan of few more talukas would be passed by the state-level committee (SLC) in the first week of March.
“Regional plans of few more talukas would be placed before the Town and Country Planning Board meeting scheduled in the first week of March,” Kamat told reporters on Monday.
Sources, however, said that the RPs for the talukas of Ponda and Quepem will not have a single eco-tourism zones while there will be micro-industrial zones in it, a senior official said.
Town and Country Planning (TCP) department sources stated that the surface utilisation plans for Quepem and Ponda taluka were almost ready while the work on Sanguem taluka plan was currently underway.
A senior official said that the eco-tourism zone concept does not figure in the Ponda and Quepem plans as they don’t require such enclaves.
The State Government has faced opposition from civil rights groups on the concept of eco-tourism zones and micro industrial enclaves shown in surface utilization plans of Canacona and Pernem plans.
The Government has already notified RPs for Canacona and Pernem talukas where eco-tourism zones are identified. The plan for Sattari is approved by the SLC, but it is yet to be notified.
Sources had stated that surface utilisation plans for all the talukas having mining areas will be approved together. It is learnt that RPs for these talukas will show working mining leases making way for erasing out illegal leases.