PANJIM: With the number of applications for zone changes pouring in, Town and Country Planning Department appears to be finding it difficult to handle the issue due to shortfall of manpower.
TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai told Herald that the he has had a meeting with the OSD to the Chief Minister seeking clearance for recruitment for the department at the earliest. “I had taken up the issue with the Chief Minister a few days back and again I had a meeting with the OSD to CM for quick clearance of recruitment files,” Sardesai told Herald.
He said that the ever since the 16B amendment was notified, files for the zone changes have been pouring in. As per department statistics there are thousands of files to be handled.
“All the files have to be scruitinised before they come up for the TCP Board approval. But I have shortage of manpower at the same time Goans cannot be denied justice, especially those whose 7cr sq metre of land was changed from settlement to orchard/agriculture or eco-sensitive,” he said.
Sardesai said that while doing so he also needs manpower to investigate how the 11 cr sq mt of land was converted to settlement by the Congress in 2012.
