Digambar Kamat Government (D-Gu-Gov) constitutes 1,424th committee named New Review Committee (NRC) to review 36 years old Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, 1974. The said act was amended in 1994, in February 2007 and recently in March 2008.
Historical facts: majority of Goans voiced their grievances through Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) platform, proving the Regional Plan (RP), 2011 to be notorious, bane and detrimental to Goa's overall development. Bowing to growing mass agitations, Goa government scrapped the act with a promise to redraft the same with public participation. Accordingly government constituted a Task Force (TF) headed by architect Charles Chorea. Years passed, but other than spending lakhs of rupees, TF could not come out with concrete proposal! If this be the fate of TF headed by world renowned architect, Goans can easily speculate the outcome of presently constituted NRC headed by Commissioner and Secretary of TCP. For sure it's going to be hooey! Past incidences reveals that present chief minister of Goa stabbed Edgar Rebeiro, the principal architect of the RP 2021 and the advisor to the TCP Minister. In fact, Edgar represented the hopes of Goans & of other Goan organizations which agitated for the scrapping of the notorious RP 2011. He realized that the government did not have any intention of honoring their promise given to Goans that the RP 2021 would not be manipulated for the benefit of 40 thieves and land sharks. In suffocation he resigned from TF. But before Edgar could resign, surprisingly, Dr. Oscar Rebello - the convener of GBA who was flanked by able and dashing support of two ladies from GBA, also resigned from TF. These two incidences raised eyebrows of all Goans in surprise. NAILS IN THE COFFIN: D-Gu-Gov hammered many nails to hamper finalization of RP 2021: 1) Government fired first shoot on TF by notifying Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations despite receiving countless objections and suggestions from Goans. 2) Second shoot was fired by government, despite several objections, by amending Section 16 and 16A of the TCP Act, titled Goa TCP (Public projects/schemes/development works by the Government) Rules, 2008. This new rules excluded state and central public sector projects and even Pad Podille Projects i.e. public-private partnership projects (PPP) from the purview of the RP 2021. [This amendment published in official gazette on August 18, 2008 states "any other project declared by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette after being of the opinion that the operation maintenance development or execution of such project is essential to the public" will be exempt from the purview of the RP 2021"]. 3) Government also appointed a steering committee packed with land sharks and their patrons on to TCP. Outcome of this committee is known only to these members and no one else! 4) Subsequently chief minister constituted a very special committee without any representative from GBA but with appointment of Mapusa based businessman close to ex-Finance Minister, and one Margao based advocate close to the Chief Minister on the said committee under sub-rule 4 of rule 3 of Goa TCP (Public projects/schemes/development works by the Government) Rules. Till date no one knows what this special committee has done or is doing in TCP! 5) D-Gu-Gov later brought in amendment to the Panchayat Act enabling the Panchayat Secretary to obey and enforce the orders of the Block Development Officer (BDO), who is normally a puppet ruling government, irrespective of whether the village panchayat and the gram sabha agree with the decision of the BDO or not. Above stated NAILS were intentionally and carefully designed by land sharks, mine owners, real-estate lobby, hoteliers, builder lobby in connivance with D-Gu-Gov who hammered these special nails into the confine of TF only to quash finalization of RP 2021. Now there appears to be a big challenge in front of NRC. The challenge is not just correcting spelling mistakes, grammatical mistakes or meanings of lexicons used in RP Act, 1974 but is to make sure that they plug-off the above stated NAILS as well has find ways and means to take care of 8600 complaints (that included objection and suggestions) which were received from Goans while drafting of RP 2021 was in progress. NRC must also ensure that provisions of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the constitution of India are incorporated in the revised RP Act, 1976 to ensure bottom-up participatory planning. In this connection it's amusing to know that since July 2007 till June 2010 D-Gu-Gov constituted 1,423 committees out of which 750 committees did not convene any meeting since its inception! Taking these figures in account, this review committee happens to be 1,424th committee constituted by D-Gu-Gov. One should only hope that this committee does not become 751st committee to not convening a single meeting! Recently in one of the NGO meeting I attended, following striking points were discussed: One active senior citizen opined saying "When NRC has participation of GBA members why government notification addresses them as "representatives of Civil Society". Many attended members also brought out opinions expressed in Goanet. According to those messages doubts got raised on inclusion of some advocates as committee members who according to them are advocates representing land sharks as well as builders! Overall Goans are expressing their dissatisfaction about the very composition of this committee. They openly say that members of NRC will only spend public money like TF did that too without any achievements. Goans also want that government publishes detailed accounts of expenditure incurred by various committees constituted by D-Gu-Gov on TCP. To compound TCP related issues further some prominent and elite Goans openly say "Since NRC is formed as an eyewash exercise Goans must keep themselves ready to attend the last rites of NRC with short notice". However, I wish NRC all the very best and hope this committee meets the aspirations of Goan Aam Admi without providing easygoingness to Khas Admis! Will they? Best regards, U. G. Barad * * * The book people are already talking about: Goanetter Selma Carvalho's *Into the Diaspora Wilderness*. Launch on July 25, 2010 at the UK Goan Festival [http://goafest.itpsworld.net] Goa launch next month. See http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/ Buy at Broadway's, Panjim [Ph 9822488564] at Rs 295 in Goa. Overseas, postage extra. * * *
