-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE | | | | by visiting this link and following the instructions therein | | | | http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ordinance dated 29th September 2005 exactly 28 days after the month long Budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly has aroused great response from villages in South Goa as well not covered as planning areas.
Today there were protest meetings held by villagers in Margao in front of the Communidade Building. The thing which has unnerved every Goan in Goa and outside is the agenda of the North Goa Planning and Development which covers the Planning areas of Panaji and Mapusa The meeting held on 17th October 2005 and 10th November 2005 is believed to have granted POST FACTO approval for applications recieved under section 44 (development/amalgamation/sub-division etc) POST FACTO approval for applications received under section 49(6) NOC for deed of sale etc CASES under section 44 of YCP It is quite obvious that all these FILES have been cleared from 29th September, 2005 to 10th November, 2005 and only then the Minister for TCP declared that the ORDINANCE WILL BE HELD IN ABEYANCE until discussed on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly. But with the stoic silence of all the ruling INC NCP and MGP MLA's with the exclusion of Ms Victoria Fernandes, Deputy Speaker MLA Santa Cruz and now the BJP lending support to the agitation against the ordinance; no purpose will be served in discussing the matter in the Goa Legislative Assembly for if a whip is ussued to MLAs of the ruling parties they will have to vote in favour of the same as dissensions could attract disqualifications. Another proposal to file a Public Interest Litigation may not serve the purpose as in the event of a stay not being granted the Government will through its Advocate General buy time and the agitation would have to be put off as the matter would then be subjudice. Therefore the peoples court alone can ensure that the ordinance and the Bill which was attempted to be rushed through on the last date 31st August 2005 was stalled by the timely intervention of Mr Manohar Parrikar Leader of the Opposition LOO who is believed to have told the INC Law Minister Mr Dayanand Narvekar that there would be serious repurcussions if the amendments are rushed through. For the netizens it is made clear as under The Regional Plan for all the 11 Talukas of Goa was notified on 11.12.1986 after it was discussed in gram sabhas of all villages. The plan was valid upto 2001. There was a clause 17 which stated that no changes could be made to the Regional plan before 5 years. But the INC Government effected the first change eliminating the 5 years period in March 1988. Ever since then any person could make an application for change of land use and after inviting suggestions from the public giving a 60 days notice the same could be revised. In this way there were about 932 cases cleared by the board. This ofcourse involved "greasing of palms" or rather a "consideration" to keep the constituents of politicos and the TCP Board in "good humour" Now when the 2001 Regional Plan lapsed a consultant was appointed to prepare the Regional Plan for 2011 and obviously the same process of inviting suggestions from public within two months was done between 6.7.2004 to 6.9.2004. Thereafter the committee should have been appointed to scrutinise the objections and suggestions and the same approved by the Government and then perhaps notified. During Presidents rule between March 2005 to June 2005 the Governor initiated the process and hence vide circular dated 6.5.2005 of the TCP all the change of land use and zoning by TCP was banned (PDAs were removed in toto in public intereston 4.2 2005 by Mr Pratapsing Rane and surprising restored on 27.9.2005 this time there was no mention in "whose interest") Unfortunately the word conversions crept into the circular and hue and cry was raised stating that conversions of cases of change of land use in finality meaning approved and notified by the Board were also with held (there is no proof as yet on this but the Governor could have been misled to believe so when he signed the ordinance) Thus instead of the draft Regional Plan being finalised the 29th September 2005 ordinance was put in place stating that "circumstances exist ----" keeping the draft regional plan in cold storage. In the ordinance section 17 and 29 the period for objections from public reduced to a meagre 15 days. Thus if a non Goan desires to purchase from a land holder a 5000 m2 of paddy field he could ask the land holder to file an application with the TCP Board and the Government (meaning the TCP Minister) would call for objections if any within 15 days (inclusive of holidays and non working days) and clear the change of land use from paddy field to say commercial use. This is the case of TCP and also in the case of Outer Development Plans which could be amended and altered in the same manner by the PDA's But the section 33 (1) has a hidden clause which says that the Government (meaning the TCP Minister or the TCP Board could cover even NON PLAN AREA this means that every piece of land in Goa whether covered under the PDAs as Planning areas or otherwise could be changed from one use to another. Therefore the mistaken belief of revenue villages which have since been removed from some of the PDA's e.g the revenue Villages of Salcete which were covered under the 6.8.2004 Planning areas of Margao PDA and removed under the 27.9.2005 extraordinary Gazette could also be covered by the 33(1) amendment. Therefore the demand is a) withdraw the ordinance b) cancel all PDAs c) revoke all approvals granted by the NGPDA on 17th and 10th November 2005 or any other acts done on the basis of the ordinance from 29th September,2005 to 10th November 2005. It is a shame that the elected representatives of the ruling INC NCP MGP combine have necessitated one of its senior MLAs a septgenarian to come on the street when the MLAs are expected to reflect not their will but the will of the people on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly It is not known why the ruling party MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha both Mr Churchill Alemao and Mr Shantaram Naik are silent on the issue. Is it because each one is trying to outbeat the other for a Ministerial portfolio? And atleast that is the suspicion because at least Mr Alemao who made noise on the MOPA airport issue has been out of circulation in the media for reasons unknown. Even with the tour operators and the taxi operators threatening the tourist season with their agitation which tends to emerge as a nongoan goan issue there is silence from Mr Alemao. The morcha of 21st September, 2005 therefore seems to be the turning point of the battle within the INC and the ruling combine. Let the support continue from all and sundry Goa must be saved from the LAND SHARKS AND OUR POLITICAL MERCENARIES . GODFREY J I GONSALVES Borda Margao Goa 9822158584 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
