These are the series of deadlines (see box titled: Tareekh pe Tareekh), set by the BJP-led State Government for giving Goa a complete land use document-Regional Plan 2021-adhering to all requirements-in their five year tenure.
The deadlines continued to be ‘mere deadlines’ as 58 months down the line — the Laxmikant Parsekar-led government giving back the same RP 21- the one drafted by then Congress government which saw massive outrage against them during the 2012 polls — leading to their downfall in the State Assembly. With the state headed for another election due in February, the BJP government managed to finalize only rectified plans of Satari, Pernem and Canacona at the fag end of its regime-the notification of which was hit by model code of conduct.
From 2012 election manifesto, to Governor (then) K Sankaranarayanan, to Chief Ministers, to MLAs speeches, BJP backed scrapping and de-notifying the land plan-which is virtually in draft stage for 20 years now. However, in its biggest U-turn current Minister for Town and Country Planning Francis D’Souza ruled out scrapping or de-notifying the plan but instead decided to improvise it as per the ‘so called’ wishes of the people.
BJP led by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had promised in its poll manifesto to scrap the then existing RP 2021 and formulate a new plan to protect Goa’s identity and green environment through a consultative process. The then Governor K Sankaranarayanan, in his first address to the new State Assembly in March 2012, assured that the present Regional Plan 2021 would be replaced with a new one and reiterated the government’s belief “in grassroots planning and participation of people in all developmental activities of the state”.
“This was mere promise and announcement to win people’s vote in 2012 elections. These were the same BJP, who stood with us in the massive protest held opposing RP21. What have they given us today? No regional plan,” Goa Bachao Abhiyan convener Sabina Martins says.
Soon after taking over the power, then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, through a notification issued on June 4, 2012, set aside 2012 plan and RP 2001 plan was used as a reference plan. After initially claiming that the 2021 plan has been kept in abeyance, the Minister for Town and Country Planning Francis D’Souza, in August 2016 made a shocking revelation that the plan is very much in use and not kept in ‘abeyance’. Yet another U-turn.
Since March 2012 till December 2016-the BJP government was seen busy setting deadlines after deadlines for completion of the plan. The sudden ban on mining industry imposed in September 2012, diverted entire focus of the government, on mining industry, keeping other contentious issue at the backburner.
Sad but true that Manohar Parrikar, who also held TCP portfolio till November 2014- took no steps towards resolving the issues concerning the land plan. Post his elevation to Central Cabinet, the portfolio was handed over to Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, who set the ball rolling in January 2016- almost a year after taking over the charge.
Fresh public inputs were invited in December 2015, followed by constitution of State Level Steering Committee to study and decide on those public inputs-resulting into finalization of land plans for Sattari, Pernem and Canacona taluka in December 2016.
“It was not an easy exercise and we wasted lot of time in the beginning. We had very difficult task of chalking out guidelines as how to go ahead with the rectification of the plan. We had got over 6000 applications, which we had to study and decide on which to incorporate. Post forming the government in 2017 elections, finalization of RP21 would be our first task,” D’Souza had told HERALD.
Earlier, the Congress government had notified an all-taluka RP 2021 in December 2011, but activists and stakeholders had criticized it as an error-ridden plan with controversial projects and one that also did not incorporate their key inputs.
But activists alleged that delay in finalizing the land plan has caused major environmental damage to the state. RP 2001 had not marked state’s green and eco sensitive zones, as it was an in-house exercise of planning without reliance on consultancy services. Haphazard permissions were given by TCP even as RP was not in force, activists allege.
The aggressive anti-RP21 movement led by GBA in 2011 that saw massive wave against ruling dispensation-Congress- seems to be missing now and this could be an edge for BJP.
