MARGAO
The Goans for Sustainable Development (GSD) has called for de-notification of the Regional Plan 2021 and instead plan for Goa 2031 after collecting all necessary data and involving the people in a Constitutional process for down-top planning.
The NGO further demanded that the moratorium be maintained on all constructions in the State in the interim period, except individual dwellings to be allowed on lands demarcated as settlement zones in both RP 2001 and RP 2021.
In a petition signed by Fr Eremito Rebelo and Abhijit Prabhudesai, the GSD lodged their strong objections to the RP 2021, with a plea to de-notify the RP 2021, terming 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. You will recall that the settlement zones have been added based upon individual requests rather than as broad demarcations and zoning areas. The RP 2021 has been prepared based on adhocism and arbitrariness instead of facts and relevant data collection," the duo told the Chief Town Planner.
The NGO said the new plan needs to be prepared based on data that is current, relevant and up to date. RP 2021 was prepared in 2008 without data, and in the eight years since the task force pointed out absence of data, no attempts are made to collect socio-economic/physical data, or new emerging facts regarding climate change. The data should include studies that consider the impact on Goa of the sea level rise; the weakening monsoons; the anticipated world climate change; water and food security of Goa, and impact of the future water scarcity in neighbouring States upon which we are dependent for our water and food," the NGO said.
The NGO further said the study should also include the cumulative impact of filling of low-lying lands and cutting of forests and hills for public and private projects, especially on flood prevention infrastructure and the impact of loss of forests and agricultural lands and loss of groundwater resources, besides the economic impact of the policies of the past 50 years on the environment, economy and society of Goa and the costs and benefits that have accrued.
The NGO demanded that no new settlements and industrial estates should be marked in eco-sensitive zones, CRZ, agricultural lands and plateaus. “Again, RP 2021 appears to be actively promoting destruction of our eco-sensitive areas and agricultural resources, even going as far as to actively promote real estate speculation by marking wider roads and new roads," the NGO said.
Calling for the protection of forests, the NGO claimed that the RP 2021 permits destruction of forests for settlement, mining and eco-tourism (an illegal insertion in the policy document for RP 2021) and other anti-development activities for profit. “Natural cover shown in RP 2001 are now shown as orchard in various places, leading to a flurry of deforestation all over the State by builders hoping to capitalise on the zoning changes marked in RP 2021," the NGO said.
Further, the NGO demanded that unlike RP 2021, the new plan should not be a blueprint to the urbanisation of Goa. “Goan villages must be maintained as villages. Hence no new settlements should be permitted except for the genuine needs of the residents. All industrial areas that are not used must be returned to the villages as common lands, and no new industrial land allocations may be allocated for industrial use unless all of the lands already constructed upon are used properly," the NGO said.
