No government will honestly take the Regional Plan to finality. While discussing the issue with convener of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan, we realized that the GBA is completing 10 years of its existence. In normal circumstances, we would have organized a decennial celebration of Goa’s 21st century public movement, but in absence of a functioning regional plan, for which the movement was founded, there is not much left for jubilation.
We are supposedly a well-developed state without an active plan for 80 percent of our landscape. Why? Be it a Congress led government or a BJP headed dispensation, what is the reason behind our inability to finalise a plan for Goa?
To his credit, Digambar Kamat took only one appreciative decision during his tenure and that is to form a task force under the chairmanship of world renowned architect Charles Correa and establish a first-hand micro, survey-number wise mapping of Goa’s land use plan. The draft plan prepared by the committee was impeccable, practical, visionary and devoid of any political interference. What happened next resulted in the resignation of India’s top town planner Edgar Rebeiro from the state-level committee and experts like Dean D’Cruz noting their dissent (in writing) during some of those heated and controversial meetings headed by then CM Digambar Kamat.
The draft regional plan was later devilishly diluted to brutally incorporate some of the unholy demands of then heavyweight ministers in the Kamat government. Digambar Kamat decided to give in to these destructive expectations of his personality-driven cabinet and agreed to de-construct what could have been the greatest monument of his otherwise widely criticised regime “ an honest regional plan.
The BJP, which had failed to derive electoral benefits out of the 2006 anti-regional plan agitation (we elected the same Congress government back to power in 2007 after staunchly agitating against it in 2006), decided to throw its hat in the conundrum. They bravely declared “denotification” of RP-2021 in their poll manifesto. When the “parri-vartan” clicked, they went to an extent of announcing the “denotification” in the assembly through the governor’s speech. The house voted in favour of the decision. And then, this government squatted on the promise for nearly four years.
You may call it political imprudence or tactical inefficiency, the current ruling establishment delayed opening of the RP till the election year. We must remember one inescapable fact. No political party can take a “fair and just” decision on a controversial matter like RP when the election is few months away. It is politically unaffordable and inadvisable. Most of the times the ruling party ends up making horrible compromises either to please their “money bags” or not to be perceived as “anti-people”.
Sadly, planning should be free of all such “winnability” compulsions. Town planners are expected to plan for a decade when it comes to the regional plan. One takes into account the growth of population, migration - out migration, influx of tourists, the ratio of new settlement areas needed (if needed), guidelines to determine those settlement areas, growth expectancy of economy and marking of commercial zones respectively, unemployment ratio and land required for industrialisation, development of supporting infrastructure for all of the above (water, power, roads, digital connectivity etc) and the “no-go” areas; the eco sensitive zones, green zones, forests and mangroves.
If town planners carry out their task honestly, without any fear or favour, the above mentioned demarcation is easy and practical. If politicians decide to meddle in town planning by inducting their favourite “investors” and “pet projects” in the vision plan, the town may survive for a while, but the planning will surely die a slow but painful death.
Tragically, our town and country planning department also is facing gross corruption charges. It has become a tool in the hands of politicians (of all parties) to mint money. The only planning that is taken care of is “election fund”, “party fund” and most of the times “personal fund”. Naturally, planning goes for a toss. The result is the public notice published by the department inviting suggestions and objections on the regional plan.
It is a plain notice without any guidelines and parameters. One can suggest anything and everything. Such a fallacy is not expected from a department whose only job is to do what they are doing right now - Plan. How can a department issue a general public notice without any framework? The department already has more than 3500 suggestions/objections to deal with. How many more do you want without any proper guidelines? Is this how a planning department expected to function?
Frankly, I see no hope. I see no optimism because I don’t see any planning. What’s visible is reckless haphazardness to fulfil a cavalier election promise. But planning is not a party manifesto. It is not a “poll promise” by a political party. It is a “promising future” ensured by an elected government. Sadly, I did not see it during last regime nor am seeing it in this “parivartan” dispensation.
As citizens, we plead - Do not play with the future of our generations. We have faced enough policy paralysis. You cannot achieve sustainable growth by creating Investment Promotion Board or 5-10 percent development of eco-sensitive zones. You resort to such measures when your planning mechanisms have failed. State cannot run on piece meal arrangements of developments. And no such boards or schemes can be exclusive of the regional plan which is a holistic map of comprehensive land use of the state. For the sake of our children, your children, stick to basics. Study. Plan. Prepare. Implement.
Let us not build the magnificence of our riches on the graveyard of Goa’s future. Period.
Pramod Acharya is Editor, Prudent Media
