PANAJI
With the May 26 deadline nearing, objections to the sweeping changes proposed in the Goa Land Development & Building Construction Regulations, have begun flowing in at the office of the Chief Town Planner (Planning) Rajesh Naik.
On Friday, members of prominent green NGO, Rainbow Warriors, submitted a detailed letter articulating its objections to most of the proposals and chiefly the ones that permit development and construction in hitherto 'no development zones' including agricultural lands to permit yoga centres, open-air sports and religious structures, agricultural research centres and biotech industrial units.
"These amendments are prima facie illegal and in violation of relevant statutes and our Constitution," the Rainbow Warriors letter signed by multiple members states.
Making an exception for 'yoga centres' to permit development and construction in agricultural lands is unjustified as there is no such requirement in Goa, the letter adds.
Another serious objection raised in the letter is against the dilution of road requirements for multi-housing projects, hotels and industries which it said will unleash a fresh wave of concretization and land grabbing across the State.
"This proposal is therefore anti-people and anti-Goa," the letter said, adding that future constructions must be restricted to individual homes and essential services of health and education.
It said that large tracts of agricultural lands have been picked up by speculators not with the intent of promoting farming but to make a fast buck from multi-housing constructions and with these amendments, the TCP department is only seeking to pander to these by proposing these amendments.
The amendment to permit farmhouses, the extension of the provision to regularise illegal structures under 500 square metres area to those above 500 square metres area and the provision to increase the area for housing in industrial zones were all objected to.
Twenty-six organisations from across Goa have appended their support to the letter of objection submitted by the Federation of Rainbow Warriors to the Chief Town Planner.
Meanwhile, a number of other organisations and green activists have over the past several days been holding consultations on these sweeping changes in the building laws proposed by the TCP department.
According to noted environmental architect Elsa Fernandes, who has crisscrossed the length and breadth of the State to explain the implications of these sweeping changes, several more representations with objections are expected to be filed before the CTP over the next week.
"There are some organisations who are still holding consultations and discussions over the proposed amendments. Others are busy putting together all their objections on paper. Over the next week until the Friday deadline, dozens more representations will be filed," Fernandes said.
