PANAJI
Bowing to the public and political pressure, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday kept the controversial GIS based draft zoning plan of Pernem taluka in “abeyance” till further directions from the Central leadership.
The development comes within 24 hours of extending the deadline for submission of suggestions and objections to the draft plan, which was vehemently opposed by the people of Pernem stating that the plan is drafted to facilitate the building lobbies and with vested interest.
After initially declaring not to scrap the plan, Rane on Monday held a meeting with former BJP Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte and Sarpanch and panch from the constituency with regards to the plan. Incumbent MGP Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar has been at loggerheads with the Minister on the zoning plan issue.
Addressing media persons post meeting, Rane said that after consulting the Central leadership and the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the decision has been taken to keep the zoning plan in abeyance till further directions from the leadership. “The way then CM (late) Manohar Parrikar had kept RP 2021 in abeyance; we are keeping this plan in the abeyance,” he said.
The Minister said that the future course of action will be decided by taking the people of Pernem and Central leadership into confidence. “We don’t want people to feel that they have been bypassed in the developmental process. We want to take the people along. Whenever the leadership gives go ahead, we will take up further step. We will take the people of Pernem into confidence in future planning,” he said.
“Now there are elections in Madhya Pradesh. Central leadership is busy with that. And we are also not in hurry,” he said adding "we never prepared the plan keeping vested interest in mind”.
Rane said that several efforts were made to misguide the people and use the people for their own personal and political benefits.
According to the draft plan, nearly 1.4 crore sq meters of land or 21 per cent of the green cover was proposed to be converted into a settlement.
