MARGAO
Salcete countryside reverberated to the cries against the proposed Amendments to the Goa Land Development & Building Construction Regulations, 2010 with the gram sabhas specifically convened resolving to oppose them tooth and nail.
The gram sabhas of the village panchayats of Varca, Benaulim, Colva, Orlim, Poinguinim and Siolim red flagged the proposed amendments as members feared that these will destroy the State.
The Benaulim gram sabha opposed the amendments with the exception of No. 2 in the interest of the future of Goa, demanding that they do not get notified. “The amendments are piecemeal, and the amendments should flow naturally as a subset from a larger perspective plan as is the norm of planning and in the interest of the people of the State”, the resolution adopted by the gram sabha added.
After discussing the amendments, the meeting chaired by Sarpanch Xavier Pereira resolved that government should not allow notification of such amendments.
In Poinguinim, the largely attended gram sabha was rocked after demands were made to pass resolutions against the controversial TCP amendments.
The TCP Amendment also came in for opposition at the gram sabhas of the neighbouring panchayats of Colva, Orlim and Varca.
Colva Sarpanch Suzie Fernandes told The Goan that the extraordinary gram sabha vehemently objected to the TCP Amendment and opposed the proposal tooth and nail.
The Sarpanch said the gram sabha raised a host of issues over the proposed amendments, before red flagging them at the meeting. She said the resolutions will be forwarded the office of the Chief Town Planner for action.
The villagers of Siolim also joined the chorus against the TCP amendment.
Slamming the amendment, the villagers said they were “anti-people” and “anti-Goa”.
They said so far agricultural and eco-sensitive zones in Regional Plan 2021 were protected until now, but this amendment proposes massive constructions within lands demarcated under RP 2021 which include forests, mangroves, no development slopes, khazans, paddy fields, rivers etc under the garb of golf course, film cities, meditation centres etc.
The locals also said the amendments proposed include many other dilutions to help builders and land speculators, such as reducing width of road required, allowing higher FARs for constructions and removing the need to keep spaces for other public utilities.
“The TCP department has proved its incapacity to stop destruction of Goa, as it has totally failed to stop blatantly illegal filling of low-lying areas, cutting of hills and destruction of the most sensitive parts of Goa,” a petition to the Chief Town Planner said.
The villagers said the amendment must be scrapped immediately and a stringent RP 2031 must be prepared instead, to cope with the climatic crisis.
