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GBA Press Releases

The RP2021 debate

Goa Bachao Abhiyan

77, Defence Colony, Alto Porvorim-Goa

goabachaoabhiyan@gmail.com

www.savegoa.com

Phone: 9767701245

GBA/2011/005

24 March, 2011

Press Release

Goa Bachao Abhiyan met in the city to deliberate on the progress and process of the Regional Plan 2021 and the present RP debate in the Assembly.

GBA noted that the government has time and again, failed to keep its promises and assurances made in the Legislative Assembly to complete the Regional plan 2021. Despite procedure laid down in the government order of 28th October 2008, requiring that a 30 day period of inspection and correction be allowed prior to notification, this step has been repeatedly skipped.

It has been brought tot the notice of the house by the MLAs cutting across party lines that mistakes were made in the Plan and have been acknowledged by the CM. The CM stated that the entire plan will be out in June 2011 and "corrections will be made after notification".

GBA demands that the government follow its own order and keep the the entire finalised Regional Plan open for correction of mistakes for 30 days prior to notification of the entire RP2021 and not subsequently.

The GBA questions why the Government does not follow its own orders and prefers to open new areas of corruption, requiring corrections after the notification of the RP2021, where the term 'corrections' is open for any interpretation. The GBA stated that such corrections had led to the agitation against the RP2011, where hundreds of so called 'corrections and gazette notifications' corrupted the whole Plan.

Allowing changes post notification means that the changes will be piecemeal which the government hopes will go unnoticed by the public, as opposed to a 30 day scrutiny period of the full plan before notification.

Till date the Government has no clear guidelines provided for many of its insertions. Cansaulim is one such glaring example of putting villages in Non-ODP PDA areas without clear authority structure. In the case of Cansaulim the issue is still under question and no answers are forthcoming from the Government.

Massive mass land use change 'corrections' in the old RP2011 still exists .The largescale development planned on Survey No. 87 at Reis Magos by stakeholder DLF and associates on 'No-Development' slopes is a case in point. This is highlighted on the website www.samaraya.com and curiously has been marked in a misleading way on the old Regional Plan 2011.

The TCP has not shown this area as having a slope of more than 25 % despite it being indicated in the Survey Map of India Other adjacent sites above 25% slope is marked as ecosensitive. The plot also shows no survey number as according to the TCP department it forms a part of the restricted area belonging to INS Mandovi. What is amazing is DLF is soliciting enquiries on the net with their master plan and even laid their roads on site as can be seen by Google

Will this be one of the many "corrections" made after the notification of the new RP2021 to go unnoticed by the public?

GBA has repeatedly asked for the minimum 30 days public scrutiny of the Plan, as is the norm primarily to check for insertions, errors, and back door entry of projects under amended Sections 16&16A of Goa TCP Act, 1974 and PPP.

The GBA had sought information under RTI, from the Town & Country Planning Department since an appointment with the Chief Minister, for clarifications about the procedure followed to finalize the Taluka Plans under RP 2021 was not given.

The Government has, through its officers, refused to provide information under RTI about the procedure that was listed in the order to keep the revised plans made by SLC open for 30 days prior notification. .The PIO of TCP in its written reply to the RTI application of Dr Sabina Martins stated that it cannot give reasons for not following the procedure.

Critical, minutes of the SLC of 2 February 2011 and TCP Board meeting were also not available.

Dr Sabina Martins has now sought inspection of files as well as has filed an appeal requesting for information in subsequent RTI application.

GBA demands from the government that the entire finalised Regional Plan comprising of all the talukas be kept open in the respective Taluka office for a minimum period of 30 days for public scrutiny and corrections as per the guidelines circulated in the Draft RP 2021

The GBA calls upon the people, village RP committees, groups, to be vigilant about 'unexplained insertions' in their village and taluka plans and take it up with the appropriate authorities to ensure a proper Regional Plan for Goa.

Reboni Saha - Secretary

Goa Bachao Abhiyan

GBA Press Releases

The RP2021 debate

Goa Bachao Abhiyan

Press Release

From the Discussion Forum