MARGAO
After the host of awareness programmes across the State’s countryside against the notification, the stage is finally set to blow the bugle against the controversial amendments to the Goa Land Development & Building Construction Regulations, 2010 on Monday.
Members of the civil society, activists and concerned villagers all seemed bracing up to lodge their protest and vehemently oppose and object to the controversial amendments before the office of Chief Town Planner, Panjim on Monday.
In fact, the civil society working under the banners of different organizations on the ground are preparing to wage a sustained battle against the controversial amendments, beginning with the protest before the CTP’s office on Monday.
A group of activists, including Abhijit Prabhudesai, Avinash Tavares, Royla Fernandes and many others on Sunday hopped from village to village at the gram sabha to hold power point presentations on the TCP amendments and why people should come and red flag the amendments.
Says Abhijit Prabhudesai: “This is a battle to save Goa for posterity. These amendments, if allowed to become law, will destroy Goa. Hence, we have made a plea to the people of Goa to come in large numbers and protest before the CTP’s office on Monday and oppose the Amendments in one voice”.
He added: “We object to the amendments in the interest of the future of Goa and demand that they do not get notified and brought into effect. We demand that the Amendment proposals be scrapped and the same be prepared in a holistic manner by planning the Land use at the state level, district level and regional level along with the impacting land use regulations with the participation of the people of Goa as per their constitutional right”.
He said these amendments expose the TCP Department’s inability to control illegalities and rather approve them; improve the basic infrastructure and rather stress it out beyond levels of well being; encourage construction activities in eco-sensitive zones against the very objective of identifying such zones in the Regional plan for their protection; uphold the various court orders to stop illegal, unauthorised and encroached land and construction issues.
A host of awareness programmes were held at various villages over the last fortnight, educating the people on the ill-effects and how the Amendments will destroy the State.
At the awareness program hosted at the Grace Church hall, prominent persons including environmentalist Claude Alvares, ex-MLA Alina Saldanha and members of the Civil Society were present.
