PORVORIM: With the process to draft the new Regional Plan 2030 (RP30) yet to kick off, the State Government on Tuesday assured to consider applications that are in public interest, for zonal changes, on a case-to-case basis before the end of this year.
Transferable Development Rights (TDRs), which is going to be the backbone of RP 2030, will be drafted in six months taking the MLAs into confidence.
Spelling out his ideas before the State Legislative Assembly, Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijai Sardesai said RP 2030 will be drafted with TDR as its backbone, which aims to protect the eco-sensitive zones and create exchange of developmental rights.
The Minister said that TDR policy will be in place within next six month. “But till we start the process to draft the plan, we will allow TCP Board to consider all those applications which are in public interest and of uttermost important, on case-to-case basis for zonal changes,” he said, adding that there would be no conversion of eco-sensitive zones.
The Minister said that by the end of the ongoing Assembly session, necessary amendments to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act will be introduced to facilitate the case-to-case basis zonal changes.
“For this, application by Goans will be given priority. I will ensure that Goans will be happy before the New Year commences,” Sardesai said.
He said that henceforth, construction can happen only with the land property title and TDR. “Every property in Goa will have a development right assigned to it. We have to demarcate it like salt pan, khazna land, hill slopes, etc. It is not an overnight job,” he said.
“TDR will be assigned to all land. In case of salt pan, khazan land, hill slope, agriculture, forest, I intend to give double the development right,” he said.
The Minister claims that with TDR, there would be less protests and it would be easy for the government to finalise the RP-2030.
Speaking about ODP, Sardesai said that all the procedure as per Act would be followed while drafting ODP and wherever there are violations the government will examine them.
