MARGAO: The Town and Country Planning Department on Friday instructed the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA), to begin preparing the Outline Development Plans (ODPs) of Margao and Ponda that were kept on hold, and to complete the process in the next 60 days.
The TCP has strictly asked the SGPDA not to consider ‘change of zone’ in areas such as low-lying paddy fields, water bodies, khazan lands, flood-prone areas, land with over 25 per cent slope, forest land including private forests, or landfilling in the buffer zone of wildlife sanctuaries and tenanted agricultural lands while drawing up the ODPs.
The TCP in its directive has also asked the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) to start preparing their ODPs as well.
“The process of preparation of ODPs by the aforesaid planning and development authorities shall be completed within a period of 60 days from the date of commencement of the order,” said Rajesh Naik, Chief Town Planner, Planning and Ex-officio Joint Secretary.
“I have gone through the TCP notification and it is clear that we need to prepare the ODP as per the earlier directions of the government as conveyed by the TCP order dated March 15, 2021,” Vinod Kumar, SGPDA member secretary told Herald.
It may be recalled that citing ‘discrepancies, the TCP in its April 27 notification, had suspended three notified ODPs (Calangute-Candolim, Arpora-Nagoa-Parra and Vasco-da-Gama) for a period of 60 days and kept on hold five draft ODPs(Panjim, Kadamba, Mapusa, Margao and Ponda). Further, the TCP had directed them to prepare fresh ODPs for their respective planning areas in consultation with the experts chosen by the government and TCP Department.
