MARGAO
Farmers cultivating the lush green paddy fields acquired by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) over a decade and a half ago need not file their objection and suggestions to the draft Margao Outline Development Plan (ODP) 2031 in their battle to de-notify the commercial zone and retain their fields as a green zone.
Instead, the beleaguered farmers have been anxiously waiting for the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to invite them for a hearing and allow them to explain why GSUDA should retain the agricultural fields of their ancestors for paddy cultivation.
For, the farmers had already filed their objection to the draft Outline Development Plan (ODP) 2031 when it was opened for public objections and suggestions in December last year.
As the SGPDA is carrying out the draft ODP 2031 exercise once again to give another opportunity for the public to file objections and suggestions, farmers cultivating the paddy fields at Madel, near the wholesale fish market and the lush green fields opposite the Margao railway station are looking for the PDA to de-notify the commercial zones and revert the fields to agriculture.
Kabrastan
The Sonsodo land admeasuring 30,000 square metres acquired for Kabrastan too has come under the scanner again. For, the Margao ODP 2028 changed the zone of the land from Kabrastan to low-cost housing and orchard land. But, with the contentious issue of Kabrastan coming under the High Court scanner, with the court setting a deadline for GSUDA to set up the burial grounds, the PDA will have to take a call on applications for reverting the zone to Kabrastan.
Farmers' battle
Progressive farmer Claudius Dias, who along with co-farmers, all hailing from the ST community, waging a long and sustained battle for the return of their paddy fields back to them, is looking forward to the SGPDA taking a favourable decision in their favour. Claudius and the farmers have not stopped cultivating the fields since GSUDA acquired the fields admeasuring over 35,000 square metres over a decade and a half ago to set up a transportation centre.
“This is the only green patch left opposite the Margao railway station. We, farmers, have been cultivating paddy and also vegetables on the land of our ancestors. We filed our objections to the ODP 2031 when the draft was kept open last year. The PDA officials have inspected our land,” said Claudius, and even expressed hope that the SGPDA and GSUDA will see reason and retain the agricultural character of their paddy fields.
Farmers, cultivating the fields admeasuring over 1.25 lakh square metres acquired by GSUDA over a decade and a half ago to set up a truck terminus, are also looking forward to the SGPDA changing the zone back to agriculture. In the Margao ODP 2028, which was finalised in 2019, the SGPDA had partly changed the zone of the acquired field to set up an IT hub, drawing flak from the farmers.
SGPDA officials pointed out that the process of scrutinizing the objections and suggestions from the public will be taken up once the one-month time frame to file the objections ends later this month.
NGO demands SGPDA scrap draft Margao ODP
MARGAO
Asserting that the draft Margao ODP 2031 exercise is aimed at hijacking the entire planning process in connivance with the real estate and political nexus that has reduced the Goa TCP department and South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) as their executive committee, the Goyche Fudle Pilge Katir has demanded that the SGPDA seriously consider its objections to the draft ODP 2031 and scrap it.
The NGO has further called for a study based on sustainable development to be planned as per the available national guidelines starting with formulating a land use policy for our state along with the State Perspective Plan aligning with the United Nations, the national mandate on LSDGs and the constitutional mandate of the 73rd and 74th amendment and the 11th & 12th schedule.
Addressing the media after lodging its objections to the draft ODP 2031, GFPK president Jack Mascarenhas said the NGO has communicated its objections to the SGPDA with a demand to outright reject this draft and additionally punish those responsible for doing such a mockery of planning the city in this decade of action of the United Nations which is calling attention on the global SDGs in light of climate change.
“Even the Chief Secretary of our State has called attention to the LSDGs launched by the then Vice President of India in April 2022, and has called upon all states to adopt at least one up to three LSDGs to achieve our nation's adoption of the UN goals,” he said.
Jack pointed out that the post-occupancy audit record with Margao Municipal Council (MMC) with regard to multi-dwelling housing projects, and group housing projects within its jurisdiction from 2012 to 2022, has not been done.
"There is no data to understand the impact of vehicles on parking and other related transport issues, which are translating into numerous road deaths in the State. The Margao Municipal Council has thus allowed real estate to expand in an unaccountable manner. This ODP will further proliferate unregulated urbanisation to fast track destruction of Goa and more particularly Margao, ecologically, culturally, socially, ethically and economically,” he added.
Saying the ODP process is the planning for the death of Margao city for the vested interests of the real estate lobby, Jack said the draft ODP signals reduced green lungs of the city, filling up of low-lying areas and comunidade paddy fields.
He said low-lying fields have been shown as a settlement with six-metre-wide roads to facilitate the conversion.
It was further pointed out that paddy fields opposite the Margao railway station are shown on the draft ODP as a commercial CI zone with 250 FAR. “This is a low-lying area. Additional fields here are shown as settlement zones with 200 and 100 FAR,” he said.
