In a major decision that will have far-reaching implications, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane decided to suspend the ODPs of Candolim, Calangute, Vasco, Nagoa-Arpora-Parra, Panaji and Margao and stated that he wants to address irregularities and bring about uniformity in the planning process. On the face of it, the TCP Minister puts up a reasonable argument for protecting Goa’s unique land resources against rampant destruction and cites cases of illegal filling up khazan lands, destruction of mangroves and criminal violations of building laws.
The TCP Minister has announced a committee to scrutinize plans over 60 days and has assured to bring major discrepancies in the public domain to keep up with transparency. While Rane suspects irregularities (read sins of omission and commission) in these plans, the objective of this fresh start appears suspicious because these plans were drawn during the earlier tenures of the same BJP government. This move is partly a show of no-confidence against Rane’s predecessors, including Atanasio Babush Monserrate, and also against the government leadership.
The suspension of plans allows the new TCP minister to go into the nuances and intricacies and do a hard reset of ODPs on the premise of ‘gross irregularities’. On paper, the TCP minister has set out to clear the mess with a fresh template, but a blanket suspension of ODPs, like the one to review proposals under Section 16B of the TCP, brings the intent and authenticity under a cloud, especially when there are precedents where ODPs have been used very effectively for personal gains rather than the greater good of the area in question. Let’s not forget that the TCP has a notorious history of being a milch cow of corruption.
A case in point is the ODP-2028 of Margao and Ponda planning areas that was notified in March 2019 during the tenure of Vijai Sardesai as the TCP Minister but was shelved in two years with the BJP government under the leadership of Pramod Sawant calling for a new ODP for the same. Apparently, this was to oblige the new chairman of the SGPDA Wilfred D’Sa who was one among the 10 MLAs that shifted from the Congress to the BJP. The reasoning given here was also to correct anomalies since housing projects were shown in heritage zones and on the hilltop opposite Sonsodo, but the political agenda stood out in contrast.
The TCP minister’s scrutiny of plans is welcome, especially because he has decided to take on board planners and experts and claims to have taken stakeholders into confidence and promised transparency. Upholding the interest of the State is crucial because the current discourse is about saving the environment and protecting the natural resources and assets of the State. As much as transparency is important to win public confidence, so is the intent. We only hope this scrutiny is all about setting right the wrongs of the past, and not realigning the wheels of fortunes.
