Team Herald
PANJIM: Gearing up to finalize the Regional Plan 2021 for Sattari, the State Level Steering Committee (SLC) has decided to notify additional iron ore mining areas in the taluka, provided there exist active mining leases.
The SLC that met on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Town and Country Planning (TCP) Francis D’Souza, resolved to correlate and superimpose the findings of ground report in all 12 talukas on the components of RP 2001 and RP 2021 and draft an integrated land plan cum ‘Goa based visionary growth plan’.
Skeptical over delay in the process, the Minister has directed TCP to expedite the exercise to ensure it meets the deadline of December to finalize the entire plan.
While site inspections are nearing an end for Canacona taluka, directions have been issued to commence inspections in Pernem and Bardez.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, SLC member and chairman of the Indian Institute of State Architecture, Goa Chapter Mangesh Prabhugaonkar said TCP has submitted a detailed site report of Sattari to SLC, and two weeks have been granted to review and present a final report to the Minister.
“Based on the recommendations of people, we will consider increasing cum notifying additional mining areas in the taluka, provided there exist active mining leases or a leases which are non operational but have all the required permission from the Union Mines Ministry, Ministry for Environment and Forest and State government,” he explained.
Stating that the existing notified areas like wildlife sanctuaries, forest and other green covers are being restored on the land plan, Prabhugaonkar said that the development, with focus on tourism, has been proposed in the balance land. “We are focusing on tourism and micro industrial sector for providing employment to the locals there,” he said.
SLC had received over 300 applications from the taluka with suggestions and comments to rectify the plan.
Prabhugaonkar said the SLC has decided to accept people’s suggestion on change of zone into settlement provided the area is located adjacent to existing settlement zone. The next meeting of SLC is scheduled on October 6.
