MARGAO
Will the change in political guard, the third time in the last five years, bring yet another change and a revision to the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Margao and Ponda?
Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane’s statement to suspend the notified ODPs or whose process is presently underway in case of any discrepancies, has cast doubts over the SGPDA’s ongoing process to finalize the Margao ODP 2032.
In fact, Rane’s statement comes days before newly-appointed SGPDA Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar was scheduled to take charge of the office. PDA officials, as well as parties who had lodged their suggestions and objections to the ODP 2032, have been left to keep their fingers crossed “ whether the SGPDA headed by Salkar would take the ongoing ODP process to its logical conclusion or will re-open the entire process by inviting suggestions and objections all over again.
The Pramod Sawant government had opened the Margao and Ponda ODP 2028 after the 10-member Congress MLAs led by Babu Kavlekar, who was later rewarded with the TCP portfolio, and Wilfred D’Sa, who was later appointed the new SGPDA Chairman, had quit the party to embrace the BJP in 2019.
Just months before the 10-member group had quit the Congress to join the BJP in July 2019, the Goa Forward-controlled SGPDA, which was then headed by Goa Forward president Dr Renuka D’Silva had notified the ODP 2028 after completing the planning process.
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that after the SGDPA headed by then MLA, Wilfred D’Sa had opened the ODP late last year, by inviting suggestions and objections, notwithstanding the change in zones notified in the Outline Development Plan (ODP) 2028 for Margao barely two and half years ago in 2019.
In fact, the SGPDA had received a whopping 163 applications from landowners in December last, with inquiries only revealing that the majority of the applications have been filed with the SGPDA for change in land zones.
Sources said the overwhelming majority of the applications have been filed for a change in land zones, either from orchard to settlement, from settlement to C2 zone and from C2 to C1 zone. A couple of applications have sought a change in zones for special residential zones.
A PDA official pointed out that he has no idea how the government will go about vis-Ã -vis the Margao and Ponda ODP.
“We have come across the news of what the TCP Minister has said. The new Chairman Daji Salkar will assume office in the next few days. The TCP Board meeting will also take place in the coming days. Let us wait and see whether the Margao and Ponda ODP will be reviewed or the new chairman will take the ongoing process to its logical conclusion”, the official added.
The SGPDA could not scrutinize the suggestions and objections and conclude the process due to the intervening election code of conduct.
Incidentally, the PDA had constituted a panel to scrutinize the suggestions and objections, but the fate of the committee hangs in balance with the appointment of a new chairperson to head the planning body. With a new chairman in place, the SGPDA will have a fresh set of members nominated to the body by the government.
