GBA barging up the wrong tree Objections should have been raised at Task Force meets
Editorial GOMANTAK TIMES, May 29, 2008 * * * The decision of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan to reject the methodology of the Task Force set up to frame guidelines for preparation of the Regional Plan 2021 comes as a surprise. First the GBA was a party to the preparation of the interim report, so objections if any should have been raised during meetings of the Task Force. Secondly, if the GBA has any misgivings, it should have withdrawn from the Task Force prior to preparation of the report. The first charge made by the GBA is that the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution have not been taken seriously. These amendments deal with devolution of powers to the panchayats and municipalities. However, the interim report of the Task Force, released some time back, clearly articulated the principle of bottom-top planning. In fact, the Task Force took this form of planning, which includes participation of residents at the grass-root level, a step further by suggesting that a pilot project on bottom-top planning be taken up in three municipal councils and six village panchayats. Accordingly, it was decided that Peaceful Society with vast experience at the panchayat level and the Council for Social Justice and Peace, would undertake the pilot project. Finally, when the notification was released, CSJP was left out and Peaceful Society refused to start the work because of an accounting problem. Thus a great opportunity was lost because of petty issues, and the GBA and its constituents have themselves to blame for it. Also, the charge that the Task Force has not taken the 73rd and 74th amendments seriously does not hold much water, because page six of the report clearly states, "The strengthening of local governance and accountability of elected members to the constituency is necessary.... This requires specified devolution of accountability related powers from the elected state level to the local elected level in defined constituencies. The RP2021 will be reduced to another pointless exercise, if enforcement of the laws that govern th built environment is lax. Necessary changes will accordingly have to be made to the GTCP Act and the local Government Acts." Further, Page 7 of the interim report also states, "It is crucial that the people of Goa participate actively in this process. We need to find positive directions, based on the resources, as well as on the aspirations of the people of Goa." The first few pages of the interim report very clearly indicates that the Task Force has approached the issue of development through a synthesis of expert opinion and aspirations of the people. In light of this, the GBA has to clearly explain how the interim report goes against the principles of the 73rd and the 74th amendments to the Constitution, and why it rejected its methodology. The second charge made by the GBA is that amendments to Section 16 and Section 16A of the Town and Country Planning Act undermines the spirit of planning. The amendments allowed the state and central governments to undertake development projects even while the Task Force is gripped with the task of creating a comprehensive plan for the state. This is a genuine concern, but it does not concern the Task Force or the interim report. This was a decision taken by the government, and any objection to it should be addressed against the government and not the Task Force. The third charge is that the timeline, that is delivery of the final report by June 30, is unrealistic. The GBA concludes that since the pilot project on bottom-top planning in three municipalities and six panchayats was not undertaken, the government is not serious about devolution of powers. It is true that governments have never been serious about devolution of powers to the panchayats and municipalities. This, by the way, is an all-India phenomenon. But to burden the Task Force with the job of ensuring that powers are devolved to panchayats is to go beyond the brief given by the government. Besides, the very fact that the Task Force decided to undertake the pilot project in three municipalities and six villages is an indication that the bottom-top planning module is still in an experimental phase. Had the Peaceful Society undertaken the project at the outset, this issue would not have arisen. Perhaps, the blame lies elsewhere. END OF EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: For a copy of the Task Force report, see http://www.divshare.com/download/4610824-10e
