PANAJI
The process for receiving suggestions and objections for the Regional Plan 2021came to a close on Monday with the TCP department receiving nearly 6,000 individual suggestions and objections besides the suggestions forwarded by the 'Goans for Sustainable Development' who claimed that they submitted around 10,000 individual suggestions.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Town Planner S T Putturaju said the Department would now go through the suggestions, sort, categorise and then process them.
“We have received nearly 5,900 suggestions and objections since December 1, when the department started the process. We have completed the process and on the last day today (Monday) we kept our office open till 7 pm", Putturaju said.
The Chief Town Planner said the process of rectification would be done “as soon as possible” and there would be no compromise on eco-zones in the State.
“We will not allow any compromise on eco-sensitive zones as marked in RP-2021,” he said.
The TCP department witnessed crowded scenes and long queues over the last three days and more so on Monday when the queue didn’t end till seven in the evening.
Prominent among those submitting suggestions was the “Goans For Sustainable Development” a grouping of NGOs mostly from South Goa who said they had submitted more than 10,000 individual suggestions demanding that the plan be scrapped.
“The RP-2021 is unconstitutional since the 73rd and 74th amendments have not been considered. Besides the RP-2021 also violates Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the constitution as well as the TCP Act since no data collection has been done,” the letter given to the TCP department states.
“This plan needs to be denotified immediately and a new Regional Plan 2031 based on the foundation of constitutional and statutory compliance as well as transparency and people’s participation needs to be created without fail,” the letter signed by Fr Eremito Rebello and Abhijit Prabhudesai of the Federation of Rainbow Warriors states.
They have sought that the new plan should include data on sea level rise, weakening monsoons, climate change as well as proper economic production figures.
“Unlike the new plan, it should not be a blueprint to the urbanisation of Goa. Goan villages must be maintained as villages and no new settlements should be permitted except for the genuine needs of the residents,” they said.
Others giving suggestions include village panchayats who wanted changes in roads, new roads and other changes as well as individual suggestions.
