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PANJIM: The Regional Plan 2021, which has been held in abeyance, will be in cold storage for another three months, as the process to finalise it will only begin only in November. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Assembly that he would start the process after dealing with the mining issue by September -October.
“If you want it clear cut, I will take it up in November,” Parrikar said after initially telling that House, “After October, once the mining issue is over, we will take up the Regional Plan.”
After the Assembly session, he also promised to form a committee that would include MLAs to look into the issue. Grass root participation will be allowed and panchayats would be allowed to decide on their development, based on parameters, the chief minister said.
“There will be a sub plan. People of the panchayat will be given an option,” he said, telling the House that there would be various categories applicable to panchayats like A, B, C based on parameters and panchayats would be allowed to choose where they would like to be placed.
“When the plan comes out, it will be transparent and non selective,” Parrikar promised. Earlier the chief minister told the House that the development of their villages would be left to the village panchayat, clarifying that “that will not be decided at the gram sabhas.”
He said that the panchayat should decide on the village plan for five years. However, this had a rider – that is this plan it will not apply to government projects or those projects under the investment board. He was replying to a question by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. According to him, the solution was two pronged – that development should be under the town planer and allowed limited release every year.
