Team Herald
MARGAO: “I am willing to freeze development in Salcete if there is a unanimous demand for that from the local MLAs who belong to one party,” said Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai.
He was responding to an observation by Aquem Baixo Sarpanch Siddesh Bhagat that development was destroying biodiversity in Goa. “Let the MLAs speak in one voice and I am willing to freeze development but I cannot freeze it only in urban areas,” he said while pointing out that he has no agenda to permit conversions.
He asserted that the Congress MLAs from Salcete should speak clearly and not indulge in double speak and pointed out that they had moved a cut motion in the Assembly demanding the Regional Plan and pointed out that the same MLAs later took a pledge referring to the oath taken at Lohia Maidan at the Goencho Avaaz organized rally.
“Where were these people when one crore square metres of orchard land was illegally subdivided into plots and sold to unsuspecting people,” he asked, pointing out that he had to bring about an amendment to stop this illegality.
While lamenting that the Congress MLAs were usually asking for increase in Floor Area Ratio, he challenged them to demand a freeze on development and promised he would deliver that and insisted that everything should be in the form of a law.
“The government can only bring about a law and anything and everything should be a law,” he said adding that even the freezing of the land will be a law.
Responding to a question about prohibiting sale of Goan land to non-Goans, he said he was willing to even bring that under the purview of the law, but asserted that there should be a demand made for it on the floor of the House as that is where the laws are enacted.
