MARGAO
Around a month after the BJP-led coalition government passed the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Bill in the Legislative Assembly, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has plans to implement the law beginning from his Fatorda constituency.
With Governor Mridula Sinha giving her accent to the Bill despite pleas by the Congress not to, the TCP Minister on Saturday said that the government will widen a 300-meter stretch of the Bolshe Circle-Chowgule College road after settling the private land owner, Noronha Fereira, with the benefit of the Floor Area Ratio (FAR).
The TCP Minister descended on the Bolshe circle with Traffic DySP Prabodh Shirwaikar, Margao Municipal Council and PWD officials for an inspection of the existing congested road and also explore the possibility of widening it through the property of the land owner by giving him a FAR.
“We have asked the land owner to provide his land admeasuring 1500 square meters for the widening of the Bolshe Circle-Chowgule College road for a distance of 300 meters. This stretch has turned out to be a big traffic bottleneck as new constructions have come up very close to the main busy road,” he said.
The TCP Minister pointed out that while the land owner was kind enough to part with his land admeasuring 1500 square meters, the government will compensate him with additional FAR somewhere else in lieu of the loss of land.
“This is what constitutes the TDR concept. People who suffer loss of land or cannot utilize their land for development for various reasons are eligible for compensation by selling their TDR rights,” the TCP Minister said, while justifying the government decision in passing the TDR Bill and making it a law.
Meanwhile, around 13 open spaces gifted to the Margao Municipal Council over the years will finally get a new lease of life as the TCP Minister has mulled beautification of the spaces in tune with the developmental needs of the local populace.
The TCP Minister also issued instructions to the PWD and other officials to beautify the Gogol garden and also ensure that residents staying in the immediate neighbouring get proper access to it.
Accompanied by MMC Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai, MMC and PWD officials at Gogol, Sardesai said the open spaces will have a standardised model, which will showcase Goemkarpon once developed.
“We have told the PWD to design a plan wherein Goemkarpon is visible in these 13 open spaces once developed. The famous Goan Balcao will find a place in these open spaces,” he said, adding that he has already taken up beautification of an open space at Chandrawado.
