The Goan Network
Panjim
Two days after Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai announced guidelines for conversion of land under the 16 (B) amendment of the Town and Country Planning Act, the Opposition party slammed these guidelines asking why the Ministry is laying down "guidelines" which were already supposed to be followed from the beginning in accordance with the Act.
Architect Tulio D'Souza, addressing the media at Congress House on Wednesday alleged that a lot of zone changes in areas under forest cover had already taken place in the months of November, December and January.
Citing survey number 230 in Cortalim which was a forest that was allowed to be converted under Section 16 (B), D'Souza questioned where these guidelines of the TCP Ministry were at that time.
He further said that though the intervention petition of the party in this regard had been prepared by Adv Carlos Ferreira, the party was waiting for the opportune moment to file it, as currently two NGOs, Goa Bachao Abhiyan and Goa Foundation were already fighting out the case in the High Court.
The TCP Minister had two days ago announced guidelines for zone conversion under the TCP Act specifying that paddy fields, khazan lands, water bodies, flood prone areas and slopes more than 25% would not be considered for zone conversion.
Meanwhile, the architect also slammed the Ministry for announcing the formation of a "Design Advisory Panel" to be formed to maintain the state's architectural heritage.
Said D'Souza, "One side you're allowing the height of buildings in ODP areas to be raised to 60 meters, and then you're saying that architectural heritage will be maintained in ODP areas. This is contradictory in nature."
D'Souza also added that by law, there was no provision for a Design Advisory Panel.
He also said that a conservation committee as well as a list of state and national monuments to be preserved were already mentioned in the TCP Act, and that another committee would only add to the confusion.
