Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Friday submitted a representation before the Election Commission of India raising concern over the hurried finalisation and declaration of incomplete Outline Development Plans (ODPs) for Margao, Ponda, Mapusa, Panaji and Mormugao.
“The ruling party and the government is bent upon official declaration/notification of the ODPs in an utmost hurry fearing the announcement of the election code by the ECI at any moment,” reads the letter.
GFP has expressed fear that such hurried adoption of ODPs would actually be a mockery of the code of conduct for elections and that it will render the election process unfair and unjust.
GFP further pointed out that the meeting of the SGPDA, convened on December 15, 2016 to approve the ODP, did not materialise due to people’s protest in the SGPDA premises.
“The allegations of corruption and kickbacks get credence as the ODP is being adopted in a tearing hurry and without consultation with the democratic urban institutions i.e. Municipalities and without inputs from the government departments such as Transport, Power, PWD, Land Survey, Police, and Highway Authority,” GFP has stated in its letter to the ECI.
The Goa Forward Party has asked the ECI to intervene and issue strong instructions to the Chief Secretary, Goa State and the instrumentalities of the government to stop meetings being held without following norms of statutory notice period to decide on critical issues which has bearing on land use and lives of the stakeholders for the next decade.
