MAPUSA
Visibly agitated over being linked to the High Court’s recent decision to quash the Outline Development Plan (ODP), Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Wednesday distanced himself from the controversial plan, asserting that the scrapped ODP was not the one prepared under his watch.
"The draft ODP was prepared in 2017 and notified in 2018. It was in force till 2022," Lobo said, adding, "At the time, Vijay Sardesai was the minister and I was the chairman of the planning body."
He emphasised that the ODP which has been set aside by the court was a later version.
"The one that is cancelled by the High Court is not Michael Lobo’s ODP," he said firmly.
Lobo clarified that he was the Leader of the Opposition when the scrapped ODP came into effect.
When questioned by the media about who was responsible for the cancelled plan, he responded, "You (media) should find out."
Defending the ODP prepared during his tenure, Lobo claimed it was done with due process and benefitted the people of Calangute and Candolim.
"We stood by the ODP when we were in government. Later, some corrections were made, and those corrections should have followed the required procedure. Since someone didn’t follow the procedure, someone else approached the court," he said.
When journalists pointed out that the Opposition had blamed him for the ODP controversy, Lobo questioned the reluctance to name those responsible.
"Are they scared to put allegations against someone?" he asked. "When our ODP was found to be lacking, the government prepared a new one. So why is my name being dragged into it?" he added.
On a separate issue, Lobo also criticised the new app-based cab aggregator guidelines, stating that the policy was prepared by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho.
"We will study the guidelines by bringing all stakeholders on board," he said, while adding that the matter would not progress until consensus was achieved.
He also questioned the implementation of taxi meters, alleging a burden on operators.
"The transport minister asked taxi owners to pay Rs 11,000 to fix meters. Now what do they do with these meters?" he asked, reiterating the need for broader consultation before finalising such policies.
