the goan I network
PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has issued notice to the North Goa Planning and Development Authority and other government agencies after renowned town planner Edgar Ribeiro along with the Goa Bachao Abhiyan and the Goa Foundation filed a petition challenging the city’s new Outline Development Plan.
The petitioners have argued that if the changes introduced in the new Panaji ODP notified on December 28 are allowed, “the original character, identity and functioning of the city of Panaji would deteriorate beyond recognition, and the city and its services would eventually collapse as the city will be taken over by real estate developers and speculators.”
The petition argues that “with a huge number of speculative projects approved on ad hoc basis” the NGPDA has defeated all the opportunities of a planned environment for the citizens and residents of the city.
“The PDA violated its planning brief to solicit and entertain vested interests’ demands for land use changes contrary to public interest and contrary to the objectives, principles and spatial planning norms laid down in the TCP Act, ‘74,” the petition reads.
The petitioners are seeking the quashing and setting aside the Panaji ODP or in the alternative for quashing and setting aside the zone changes that modify the ODP 2009/2011.
They also want the High Court to direct the Goa Police to conduct an investigation into the manner in which the land use changes were made during preparation of the ODP 2021 ostensibly to probe charges of corruption.
The petition also seeks direction to the concerned authorities restraining them from “indulging in frequent and non-transparent ODPs unrelated to the city’s carrying capacity of traffic, transport, infrastructure and other basic services.”
The petitioners are also seeking a stay on the operation of the new Panaji ODP while the petition is being heard.
The matter has now been posted for the next hearing on March 12 giving the respondents about a month to reply.
