MARGAO
The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has set in motion the process of hearing objections submitted by citizens to the draft Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Margao and Ponda.
Even as the SGPDA has floated a tender to rope in a consultant to give a professional touch to the ODP and ensure the plan is transparently put in place, the sub-committee constituted by the PDA will go about the process of hearing the objections and suggestions submitted by the citizens to the draft-ODP 2023.
Sources in the know informed the SGPDA has issued notices to citizens and NGOs who had all submitted their objections inviting them for a personal hearing in respect to their objections.
PDA officials informed that the sub-committee which was appointed by the authority meeting will conduct the hearing on the objections and suggestions.
The ODP 2032 exercise was set in motion by the SGPDA headed by Chairman, MLA Krishna Daji Salkar after the similar process started by his predecessor, former MLA Wilfred D’Sa was kept on hold after the 2022 Assembly election.
Incidentally, the ODP 2028 was finalised by the SGPDA just four years ago in 2019 when Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai was the TCP Minister and the PDA was headed by then Goa Forward president Dr Renuka Da Silva.
The ODP, however, was reopened in 2021 when the PDA was headed by then MLA Wilfred D’Sa, but before the ODP could be finalised during his tenure, came the 2022 Assembly election and the change in political guard decided to once again invite suggestions and objections to the ODP.
