MAPUSA
After remaining incommunicado since Goa Forward Party (GFP) extended its support to BJP, the Pilerne Citizens Forum (PCF) on Thursday came out supporting the regional party, provided the party met two of its crucial demands “ scrapping of Investment Promotion Board and de-notifying the Regional Plan.
“Scrap the Investment Promotion Board (IPB), de-notify the Regional Plan and start the process of forming a new plan by taking the draft RP-2021 as base,” said Peter Fernandes, coordinator of PCF.
Fernandes said that if the twin demands of the forum were met by the coalition government, it would prove the real “Goemkarponn” which the GFP was preaching to the people of Goa during the elections.
The PCF coordinator said the fast-paced political developments in the last couple of days had caught them by surprise, but after analyzing the situation the forum members thought it fit that GFP
should be given a chance to prove itself.
The PCF coordinator said that the first thing this coalition government has to do was to scrap the IPB, which gives green signal to projects by trampling upon all other State laws.
He said projects cleared by IPB in its present form would lead to unplanned development and destruction of the environment.
The PCF has also demanded de-notification of the Regional Plan and to form a new plan by mapping and incorporating all eco-sensitive zones in the plan.
“All water catchment areas, agriculture and khazan land, existing roads, social forestry trees, etc, should be mapped and reflected in the new RP,” Fernandes said.
He also said re-classification of coconut tree from grass to a tree wouldn’t be a big achievement and wasn’t the sole criteria of Goemkarponn.
“The re-classification of coconut tree was not our issue. It’s Vijay’s issue. And it’s not a big issue,” Fernandes added.
It may be recalled the members of the PCF, particularly the forum’s president, Prakash Bandodkar, with his fiery speeches, had actively campaigned for Jayesh Salgoankar in Saligao and Vinod Palyekar in Siolim.
