Govt, GBA don't see eye to eye over RP2021 TNN, Mar 7, 2010, 05.51am IST
PANAJI: Amid the clamour of March 4, when the Goa Bachso Abhiyan (GBA) forced the chief minister to agree to finalise the regional plan 2021 within six months, no clear consensus was arrived at on two important demands of the GBA.
In a written memorandum to Morad Ahmed, the chief town planner, the GBA had also demanded for “One Goa, One Plan” and that the amendment to section 16/16A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act be revoked forthwith. When the delegation of the GBA and villagers met with the chief minister and Ahmed, the GBA put forth these two demands. Regarding the first demand, Ahmed told the delegation that under the TCP Act, areas under the Outline Development Plan (ODP) have to be marked separately. The GBA was infuriated by this remark, with joint secretary Miguel Braganza questioning whether the TCP chief had called all the people to “eat peanuts.” GBA convenor Sabina Martins confirmed the heated exchanges.
Martins pointedly told Kamat and Ahmed that the draft RP2021 clearly states that the ODP areas would be under RP2021 and that since the draft RP2021 has been notified, it is a legal document. Martins said that Kamat then told them he would refer the matter to the TCP board. He also assured that the projects in ODP areas will follow RP2021 guidelines. Martins told TOI on Saturday, “The regional plan is a broad plan. When you are presenting a plan before the people, you have to give one plan. You can’t do piecemeal planning. It is important for state infrastructure.” The GBA also pressed the need to revoke section 16/16A from the TCP Act. Section 16/16A empowers the state and the central government to undertake any “public projects, schemes, development works” which need not conform to the provisions of the regional plan for Goa. Kamat told the delegation that the government was not initiating any such projects under public-private-partnership (PPP).
Goa Foundation chief Claude Alvares then pointed to the proposed stadium at Tivim. But the chief minister, while admitting that the stadium was indeed a government project, he denied it was coming under section 16/16A under the PPP mode. The GBA then demanded a list of projects coming under section 16/16A. Kamat told the delegation that no files for projects under 16/16A have come to him but said that he would put up their request before the TCP board meeting.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Govt-GBA-dont-see-eye-to-eye-over-RP2021/articleshow/5653184.cms
