The Goyche Fudle Pilgi Katir has called upon the Goa Government to stall ongoing preparation of the Outline Development Plans (ODPs) in various parts of Goa till the Perspective Plan, Regional Plan and Development Plan for the State is prepared and put out in public domain.
The NGO has also opposed outsourcing of local level planning in Goa to foreign and private consultants when the State has fully staffed Town and Country Planning Department paid through public funds.
Addressing the media, GFPK President Jack Mascaenhas said that absence of perspective plan for Goa has triggered crisis with unreserved irreversible damage to the environment.
“Our rivers are turned into urban sinks carrying industrial and domestic effluent and wastes, our rice fields are being kept fallow and converted into concrete jungle prompting food security issues in near future. Our rivers have turned into habitat for gambling dens through casinos instead of fish habitats. Necessary post-occupancy auditing of existing residential buildings and complexes are given skip,” he said.
He added, “In short Goa’s planning has gone for a massive toss and needs stringent steps for streamlining. Current political dispensation ruling Goa lack planning mindset and heading for short-circuit process to the detrimental of Goa.
Jack further said that the planning procedures followed currently in Goa are in gross violation of Indian urban development guidelines. “Planning process that has hierarchy of Perspective Plan for 20-30 years, Regional Plan for 20 years, Development plan for 20 years and Local Plan for 5-20 years is ignored completely,” he said.
“Instead, entire focus is placed on local plan. Planning followed in Goa is thus without perspective plan that has seen harmful consequences to the State,” he added.
