----------------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help others be BETTER INFORMED, The time is come for the people of Goa to ORGANISE not AGONISE !! ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC) Email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Regional Plan for Goa: Then and Now --------------------------------------- by Nandkumar Kamat
The force behind systematic spatial planning in Goa was the first town and country planning minister of Goa, Mr Paratapsingh Rane. During his first ever tenure as Chief minister he provided the necessary impetus to carry forward the task. In that he was ably assisted by a young team of town planners led by architect, Mr S P Deshpande. Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 has not changed much in the past 32 years. But there is a vast difference in the process which led to the preparation of the previous regional plan and the latest regional plan. The previous regional plan draft had received green signal from the TCP board in December 1981. In February 1982, it was notified under section 13 of the act for inviting public objections and suggestions. The draft plan had been given extensive publicity. The officials of the town and country planning (TCP) department had attended special gramsabha meetings in all the village panchayats throughout Goa. Goa did not then have a Panchayat Raj Act. The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments were 10 years away. The regional plan was finally approved by the TCP board in June 1985. The government approved it in October. In December 1985, the plan was gazette. In November 1988, the regional plan for Goa, 2001 AD proposals, was printed and made available to the public alongwith with a large map depicting the states surface utilization policy. The regional plan had a very long perspective-about 15 years ( compared to a short span of just four years for the new one). The plan was influenced by the report of the task force on ecodevelopment of Goa constituted by the central Planning commission under Dr M S Swaminathan in 1981-82. An impartial and objective analysis of the regional plan 2001 AD shows that a majority of its guidelines were breached and the spirit of its proposals and recommendations was compromised. This plan was an in-house exercise without engaging any external private consultant. There was no political interference in its preparation. Then why the plan was not implemented?. One reason was the period of political instability which began from March 1990 and continued till October 2000. Allegedly, certain real estate speculators, playing kingmakers brought pressure on the government to sideline the plan in bargain for catapulting various ruling groups to power. By 1997-98, the government had understood the urgency of setting in motion the process to prepare a new regional plan till 2011 AD. A private firm, Consulting Engineering Services (CES) Ltd, New Delhi was contracted to prepare the new regional plan as well as the Master plan for tourism. This changed the full context of the process of preparing the regional plan. CES had no experience in such matters. It had difficulties in collecting and analyzing the data. In October 1998, the chief town planner (CTP) realized that in view of the constitutional amendment act, 1996 (73 rd and 74 th amendments) the TCP Act, 1974 had become redundant. He organized a day long technical convention Goa beyond 2000 to discuss the new regional plan for Goa and the Model town and country planning act. As a delegate for that convention I remember the speeches made by the politicians who were hesitant to proceed with the new model act. The draft act had been circulated but the politicians afraid of devolving the land use planning powers to the local bodies conveniently put it in cold storage where it lies at present. Without any reference to the above convention and the draft act, CES prepared the basic information report (BIR) which was circulated to a few stakeholders by the CTP. This was followed by the Draft Sectoral Report (DSR) in May 2000. Mr Ray had sent me a copy of DSR for comments which I submitted in July, 2000. I could see that the CES was not following the process as was followed for regional plan 2001 AD. The government was procrastinating on grassroots level stake holders consultations. In the meantime some megaprojects involving thousands of hectares of land got mysteriously included in the final draft report (FDR) which CES submitted in September 2003. To my knowledge between 1999-2002, CES had not spoken a word about these changes or the megaprojects. Between 2000 to 2002 the changes included Goa heritage committee instead of a foundation (chapter 5), Proposed new tourist centres (chapter 13), new towns requiring 3500 hectares, business cum recreational centre near Panaji on a thousand hectares, water park on 500 ha. near Chapora, techno- recreational centre on 500 ha. near Margao, a Leisure city on 500 ha. near Chauri, Canacona, health tourism centre, on 500 ha, near Selaulim dam, Eco-tourism centre on 500 ha. Near Bondla, Business cum recreational centre near Talpons river on a thousand ha., health tourism centre on 500 ha. Near Selaulim and Anjuna dams, entertainment complex near the peninsula, Quelossim (chapter 17). Unlike the previous regional plan, the village panchayats were not encouraged to call special gramsabhas to discuss these proposals. Who could have benefited from these mega-proposals and at what and whose costs? People had not recommended any of these projects. The previous regional plan had become a victim of political manipulations. A case in point is the present controversy over pollution from Cuncolim industrial estate and the agitation launched by the aggrieved villagers. What the regional plan, 2001 AD had to say in 1985 before the industrial estate was established? On page 60, the document had mentioned- South of the Quepem- Cuncolim road in Salcete taluka, a small rocky unproductive area is proposed for the development of the industrial estate. It is recommended that no pollutant industries should be permitted in this area and the disposal of the effluent should be strictly controlled and monitored. The area or a part of the area be reserved for the development of traditional industries employing local craftsmen and artisans. What is the condition of Cuncolim industrial estate today? The power guzzling, polluting metallurgical industrial units were permitted to establish. Governments own regional plan recommendations were showed the dustbin. Politicians often pay lip service to good governance. Let all those who have ruled Goa during the implementation span of the previous regional plan face the people and justify their deeds. In gross violation of TCP act, 1974, without a comprehensive development plan (CDP), the TCP board and PDAs are still clearing developmental proposals. Not a single political party has courage to promise devolution of the spatial planning powers to the local authorities. The government must repeal the TCP act, 1974 with the new draft model act presently shelved. The new regional plan is fit to be scrapped. --------------------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 06/11/06 page 10 --------------------------------------------------- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ----------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ----------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
