Team Herald
PANJIM: Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijai Sardesai on Thursday informed that the TCP board meeting scheduled on May 16 will deliberate on de-notifying all the ten villages of St Cruz and St Andre from the jurisdiction of Greater Panjim Planning and Development Authority (GPPDA).
The minister also took on Congress for their act of ‘political convenience’ on the on-going anti-PDA protest, stating that the opposition demand for scrapping of PDAs is not justifiable considering the fact that their own MLAs in the past had been chairpersons of the PDAs.
When contacted, Sardesai said that the TCP Board will be meeting on May 16 and will deliberate on de-notifying the villages from GPPDA as demanded by the villagers. This is going to be the first meeting of the TCP Board post the anti-PDA and anti-Regional plan 2021 protest held across State.
“On Easter eve, I had made promise to the people of St Cruz and St Andre that their villages will be removed from GPPDA. I have to fulfil that promise. We know very well how to keep our promises but everything has to be as per procedure,” the minister said.
On March 31, the minister had announced to withdraw all the villages from GPPDA stating that he surrenders to the will of the people and that the local MLAs had misled the department so also misread the voice of their people.
The Board was supposed to meet on April 9, however, the minister had to travel to Pune for agricultural conference and the same had to be postponed.
Meanwhile, reacting to Congress demand for scrapping RP21 and PDAs, Sardesai said that Congress leaders cannot take credit for the anti-PDA movement given the fact that their own former and current MLAs like Reginaldo Lourenco, Victoria Fernandes and Agnelo Fernandes, were heading the PDAs.
“Why the demand to scrap PDAs was not found relevant at that point of time. Congress is trying to take the credit as per their political convenience. Congress should remember that their own leaders are also named and shamed by these anti-PDA protestors for illegal land conversions,” he said.
“I can understand if AAP (Aam Adami Party) takes the credit for the movement as they were the ones who galvanised the movement. Almost all the speakers were backed by them. So in that case they can take the credit,” the minister said.
