Here’s our plan
Why did the government ask the people to participate if it was going to
entirely ignore their clearly expressed wishes?
By Venita Coelho
Moira decided to look at the Regional Plan as an opportunity. The
government had invited people’s participation? Well, we would
participate with a vengeance, and get exactly what we wanted out of this
planning process. The first thing to do was to reject everything the
government was foisting on us that was anathema. So hundreds of
villagers filled in questionnaires rejecting the ten meter internal
roads, the 25 meter District road that would go down the centre of the
village, and the classification of the village as ‘ emerging township’.
The committee then went around the village for months, carefully
recording water bodies, water tables, heritage homes, landmarks, natural
cover. We created three maps of our own that showed all that we wished
to preserve, marking green lungs, water catchments areas and more. We
passed all of this by unanimous resolution in a Gram Sabha and sat back,
and waited.
The Final RP2021 is here. Every single thing we asked for has been
ignored. Every single thing we rejected has been put into the plan. The
10 meter roads and the 25 meter highway is there, along with new
proposed 10 meter roads. A huge water tank has been proposed for an area
that is highly eco sensitive. Huge swathes of fields have been marked ‘
settlement’. Is this a joke?
Why did the government ask the people to participate if it was going to
entirely ignore their clearly expressed wishes? Our idea of the future
we wished for Moira was expressed through a very thorough and detailed
report, through maps, through questionnaires, through a signature
campaign, and through Gram Sabha resolutions. All of which got us
absolutely nothing. This Sunday we again re-passed exactly the same
resolutions at the Gram Sabha and the anger was extreme.
One has to wonder at just how stupid this Kamat led government is. If
people were willing to get on the roads to fight the RP last time
around, did they think they wouldn’t this time?
After asking for peoples’ participation did they think people would then
be mollified and not question the final plan? Were they thinking of
anything at all except how to sneak in big business and construction
past the guard of the villages?
Moira has not rejected the plan. We have no intention of waiting four
years while another one is framed, with no guarantee of what that one
will turn out to be. We are determined to get what we want out of this
plan. We are doing all that is expected of us – filing objections, a new
committee report, Gram Sabha resolutions. We are also trying to meet
with the Chief Town Planner to present our point of view. But let no one
mistake this for lack of anger or determination to get what we want.
We are determined to stave off the concretized future the government is
foisting on us. It is time for the government to listen to us and to
every single village and take steps to incorporate our real wishes in
this plan. If the next step is a show of people’s power on the streets
of Panjim and in the election booth – so be it. (ENDS)
http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=2636&boxid=52342906&uid=&dat=11/23/2011
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