Mapusa locals to challenge TCP scheme in HC

AUTHORITY SLAMMED  John Lobo, General Secretary of Tenants Association of Camarcasanacho Bundh said the decision to prepare the land use map and register for Mapusa is a complete fraud on the people of the townï‚· The land use map was prepared some ten years back. The NGPDA has no legal sanctity to redraw the map or register now, he addedï‚· He said the one-month timing allotted to citizens to offer suggestions/objections during the Chaturthi festival and at a time when Covid crisis was at its peak further questioned the dubious motive of the planning authority to rush through the exerciseTHE GOAN NETWORKMAPUSAThe North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) will have to brace up for yetanother legal battle, as residents of Mapusa have decided to approach the high court against the decision of the planning authority to force the “controversial” Town and Country Planning Scheme against the wishes of the people from Mapusa.The residents also expressed their reservations against NGPDA’s decision to prepare the land use map and register for the town.“The decision to prepare the land use map and register for Mapusa is a complete fraud on the people of the town. The land use map was prepared some ten years back. The NGPDA has no legal sanctity to redraw the map or register now,” said John Lobo, General Secretary of Tenants Association of Camarcasanacho Bundh.He said the one-month timing allotted to citizens to offer suggestions/objections during the Chaturthi festival and at a time when Covid crisis was at its peak further questioned the dubious motive of the planning authority to rush through the exercise.Lobo along with the President of Shree Bodgeshwar Shetkari Sangh, Sanjay Barde and Goa Foundation was addressing a news conference in Mapusa on Wednesday.Censuring the government is trying to give a backdoor entry to the Town Planning Scheme,Lobo said the law was very clear that tenanted land cannot be developed.“One year back when we approached the High Court on the TCP scheme, the government hadassured that it will not revise the plan and therefore we agreed to dismiss the petition. But itappears the government has had second thoughts which leave us no option but re-approach theHigh Court,” he said.Picking holes in the arbitrary decisions taken by the NGPDA, the Goa Foundation said land-useregister cannot be used to prepare revised ODP, adding that the planning authority was takingdecisions which were completely against the statutes of TCP Act.President of Shree Bodgeshwar Shetkari Sangh, Sanjay Barde said the BJP government wasknown to work slyly and the quiet introduction of the land use map and register notification wasa clear indication.He said the name of his kin, which was registered as a tenant, was erased by the authoritieswithout informing them.“If they can do this to me, they can easily take a lot of people for a ride by making falsepromises,” Barde said.