Avaaz is loud and clear on RP21: Hold judicial probe, scrap plan

MARGAO
Rejecting outright the Chief Town Planner’s invitation to submit allegations of illegalities to the five-member committee for action, Goencho Avaaz on Saturday demanded a judicial probe into the illegalities in the Regional Plan 2021, claiming the RP scam is much bigger than the illegal mining scam.
Accusing the government for trying to fool the people with a tiatr named “the committee”, it has vowed to come out with a second list of beneficiaries, which it claimed will be 50 times bigger than the first list released at the Lohia Maidan.
On the other hand, in a counter offer, Goencho Avaaz has demanded that the TCP department immediately make public all of the 8,500 requests for zone changes that were considered by the TCP department for insertion into the RP21 and access to all the records of the TCP department regarding RP21 to help the people prepare a RP 2031 plan for sustainable development of Goa.
Demanding immediate scrapping of the controversial RP21, Goencho Avaaz said it is totally absurd that while the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and Chief Town Planner have admitted to the insertion of settlement zones in RP21, they have yet shamelessly allowed the anti-Goa RP21 to remain in force.
Addressing the media, Goencho Avaaz said the inability of the TCP Minister to protect the interest of the State, or to be with the people, demands his instant resignation, in accordance with democratic principles.
Goencho Avaaz co-convenor Viriato Fernandes said the selection of a committee with members, who are part of the construction industry, and therefore incapable of reviewing the illegal settlement and industrial zones of RP21, reveals the intention of the TCP Minister to try to keep the RP21 in force. “The absence of any official notification of the appointment of this committee or of its terms of reference, as we could deduce from our conversation with the Chief Town Planner, makes the validity and legality of this committee questionable. The TCP Minister’s remark that he sees the work of the committee as technical and not for politicians or mobs to discuss displays his incredible ignorance of the immense gravity of the matter and his contempt for the village organisations that have brought to the attention of public an indicator of his very poor judgement and decision, to unfreeze the RP21," Capt Viriato said.
While condemning the TCP Ministry for refusing to immediately reverse the illegal orders bringing RP21 into force on March 28 last, he said the TCP Minister has chosen to remain blind and deaf, while attempting to divert attention of the people away from the threat to Goa that they have created.
Goencho Avaaz co-convenor Swapnesh Sherlekar said as a first step towards transparency, Goencho Avaaz demands that the TCP department immediately make public through its website all of the 8,500 requests for zone changes along with the decisions taken and the reasons for the same. “We are aware that the TCP department has the same data in worksheet format, which can be easily uploaded on the department’s website for the entire public to view," Swapnesh said.
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai said the TCP department has displayed complete incompetence in planning and its inability to even study its own documents, since thousands of insertions in RP21 pointed out in the submissions made by concerned citizens and organisations have not even been referred by them. “Numerous replies to RTI queries received by citizens from across the State confirms the total inability of the department to even search for its own records as far as RP21 is concerned. “We demand that Goencho Avaaz be allowed to access all the records of the TCP department regarding RP21 so that we can prepare for the public a detailed report documenting all the facts, and suggest improvements and corrections in the procedure, thus helping the people to prepare a RP 2031 for sustainable development of Goa, that will be acceptable to all of us, especially the future generations, and the voiceless many," Abhijit said.
He said Goencho Avaaz will take all steps to get a judicial probe into the RP illegalities to protect the interest of Goa and Goans.