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.
