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**** Annual Goanetters Meet ****
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Annual Goanetters Meet - December 28, 2015 - 11:00 am
Fundacao Oriente, Mala, Altinho, Panjim, Goa
http://bit.ly/FundacaoOrienteGoa
The Fundao Oriente carries out cultural and artistic activities
in India with, for historical and cultural reasons,
special emphasis on the State of Goa.
Looking forward to seeing you there
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The Government decision to open up the regional plan for suggestions and
objections for a period of 30 day, that too during Christmas season, is a
cruel joke on all goans who are concerned about the haphazard constructions
and destruction of the environment in the name of development. The
Government is taking undue advantage of the fact that the powers in
formulating the Regional Plan lies not with the local bodies but with the
TCP and Chief Town Planner. Several organisations, panchayats and
individual citizens have raised objections on multiple domains areas,
namely ecosensitive zones, heritage, CRZ, industrial estates, mining,
infrastructure etc but the fact is the government has the discretionary
powers to reject every suggestion/objection that they receive because of
the flaw in the existing TCP Act of 1974, which doesnt take into account
the 73rd and 74th Amendment of the Constitution. The current Act is such
that it doesnt have the framework to accommodate the provisions of the
Panchayat Raj Act, Municipalities Act, CRZ etc. There is a need of a new
Town and Country Planning Act to replace the obsolete Act that is in force
in Goa today. Further, Govt has not shown any interest changing the TCP act
in the interest of the people but has gone out of their way to push an
ordinance to support corporates who want to set up hotels in eco sensitive
zones.
As a solution to the issue of the Regional Plan, United Goans Foundation
has prepared a Town Country Planning Act that takes into consideration
various other State and Central Act related to environment, heritage,
infrastructure, wildlife, etc. Instead of the present system where in the
Planning and Development Authority are a single entity, the proposed Act
bifurcates it into two bodies, the Planning Authority and the Development
Authority, in order to reduce corruption and issues related to vested
interest.
The proposed Act creates a three tier governance structure, namely at the
Town and Country Planning Commission( State level), District Planning
Commission and the Local Body (Panchayat/Municipality/ Municipal
Corporation). The State will create a State Perspective plan which will
include long term policies and strategies for spatio-economic development.
This plan will be reviewed once in 10 years. The District planning
commission will be incharge of creating a District level perspective plan
that will address issues related to physical and natural resource
potentials and their utilisation, population assignment and settlement
pattern including rural as well as urban centres and their hierarchy and
functional specialization, district level transportation system, generalized
land utilisation pattern, housing and shelter development, conservation of
environment, forests, ecologically sensitive areas and heritage zones,
integrated
infrastructure development covering water, energy, sanitation, education,
health, recreation, communication and other utilities, facilities and
services natural hazard prone areas, development of various sectors
like agriculture
and rural development, trade, commerce and industries, poverty alleviation
and employment generation in both formal and informal sectors, human
resources, mobilization of fiscal resources for Plan implementation and
any other particulars and details as may be considered necessary for
ensuring planned development of the State and integrated development of the
district. The DCP will also create an Execution Plan which is a time bound
road map for the implementation of the various proposals in the District
Perspective Plan
At the local level, the Municipality or Panchayat will prepare Master Plans
which is a comprehensive Plan within the frame work of Perspective Plans at
State/ District. The local bodies will be incharge of implementing and
monitoring the proposals in the Master Plans. Every Local body Master Plan
will be scrutinised and Sanctioned by Government with the recommendation
of DPC. The Government Departments and other authorities to take into
account the Master while drawing up projects. Master Plans will be
reviewed every 10 years. Master plans will also include the Land use plan
for the planning area.
In addition, the local body will have to create an Execution Plan for the
local planning area (Village or Municipal area) and a Detailed Town
Planning Scheme which is a comprehensive plan for a particular area within
the local planning area, conceived within the framework of the Master Plan,
if any, for the local planning area, providing detailed proposals for and
spatial development of such particular area indicating the manner in which
the use of land and development therein shall be carried out.
The Act also proposes setting up of the Goa Urban Art Commission, with a
view to preserving, developing and maintaining the aesthetic quality of
urban and environmental design within the State.
This Act is prepared after studying various other State Acts, primarily
that of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerela. UGF has demanded that the RP 2021
be denotified and Scrapped but restarting the process on the foundation of
the existing flawed TCP Act will not yield a better Regional Plan. This
proposed Act will go a long way in protecting the social, environmental,
spacial and economic development of the State. Over the next few weeks UGF
will work with various other organisation and stakeholders in further
refining the Act. UGF will also submit the copy of the proposed Act to the
local bodies, the State Government and other Members of the Legislative
Assembly in order to have it adopted and the obsolete TCP Act replaced at
the earliest.
For United Goans Foundation
Avinash Tavares
(Secretary)
