MARGAO: Concerns have been raised about the persistent delays in finalising the South Goa District Development Plan (DDP) and the ability of the District Planning Committee (DPC),
led by the South Goa Zilla Panchayat (SGZP) Chairperson, to complete this crucial task on time.
Various forums, including the Goa Panchayati Raj Institutions Union (GPRIU) and the All-Goa Panchayats Democratic Forum (AGPDF), have questioned the government’s commitment to district planning activities, given past failures by successive SGZPs to bring the process to a conclusion.
One major worry is that local governing bodies may miss out on additional funds if the DDP is not submitted promptly. Calls have been made for scheduled DPC meetings to expedite the process and for setting a clear timeline for the DDP’s completion.
In addition to the panchayats, municipalities in South Goa are also required to submit their development plans. The SGZP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) serves as an ex-officio member of the DPC, and both MLAs and MPs are part of this committee.
SGZP Chairperson Suvarna Tendulkar explained that village panchayats are expected to submit their individual development plans in a prescribed format, and multiple reminders have been sent to them. While most village development plans (VDPs) have been received from South Goa’s panchayats, some are yet to submit theirs.
Tendulkar further stated that the DPC will initiate the process of formulating the DDP by consolidating the plans received from local bodies.
Notably, the last DPC meeting took place four years ago during the tenure of former SGZP Chairperson Navnath Naik. However, this meeting ended without any concrete outcome, with
opposition MLAs criticising the government for insufficient manpower and ruling MLAs acknowledging the need for more staff to strengthen the DPC.
