A Rs 1,000 crore plan is huge by any measure. And when that kind of money is thrown along a 13 km stretch between the mouth of the Chapora river and the Colvale bridge, the landscape is bound to change in ways that locals cannot imagine. The government has hired a Mumbai-based company to prepare a
master plan, which for the present includes a marina and ferry terminal, tourism village, museum and hotel complex, aquarium, sea world, bird park and an adventure sports island. It’s a tall order and even if there isn’t any objection to it, which is highly unlikely, putting every brick of this gargantuan plan in
place will take a mind-boggling effort.
The initial question that needs to be asked is, does Chapora
need a plan as huge as this? Firstly, the plan takes its name
from the river, but in reality it will be spread across four villages
and will use the river as the main draw. The plan builds
on the tourism brand of the State and seeks to shift emphasis
from the beaches to the other waterways.
From this standpoint alone, it is
noteworthy. The Candolim-Calangute-
Baga stretch is overpopulated
and beyond repair. Even the best
intentions of MLAs and the government
will not be sufficient to restore
this stretch, which has fallen victim
to mass tourism. This stretch is a
huge happening place but lacks infrastructure
and is today an over-crowded destination.
Chapora could become the next happening place, provided
the government shifts the emphasis from mass to class tourism.
That way there will be less stress on infrastructure and
people will earn more value.
The second reason why Chapora needs a plan is because
without it, rest houses and small and medium hotels will
mushroom illegally and the government will eventually lose
control of the development process just like in Morjim and Tiracol
where illegal constructions have taken over the beach.
In Tiracol, a 20-room hotel has been constructed within 100
mts of the high tide line in open defiance of existing laws
and the government. This will be the case along the banks
of the Chapora if the government does not step in to create a
master plan.
Objections to the master plan have come from the villages
and it will not take time for NGO and activists to enter the
fray. This is part of the development process in Goa. But the
disturbing part is that none will study the plan or examine its
place in the larger tourism picture before raising the banner of
revolt. There is this mistaken belief that if a place is left undeveloped
it will remain so for generations to come. Sadly, that
is not the case. The absence of a master plan only gives rise to
uncontrolled development which cannot be reversed. So the
real choice is between planned development and unplanned
development.
However, that does not mean that the plan is perfect. Once
it is completed, it will have to be kept open for objections and
suggestions from the public so that improvements can be incorporated
and creases ironed out. A plan as large as this will
upset the lifestyles of those living in the villages. There will be
some dislocation in the initial stages, but this is better than
waking up 20 years from now to discover another piece of Goa
destroyed by unplanned development.
