#TGLife
Citing various reasons for not wanting to be reclassified and tagged as a rural area, the panchayats across Goa (Merces, Candolim, Chicalim, Saligao, Curca, Sao Jose de Areal and Aquem-Baix) have registered their concern and opposition. Navelim, which is located at the outskirts of Margao city, is not listed in the government notification, however, members of the panchayat raised their eyebrows against the decision of giving villages an urban tag.
While some argue that the ecology and biodiversity will be lost, others worry that the beauty of the village will vanish once it is declared urban. Is the government sacrificing the interest of the villagers for ulterior motives? Can such changes be brought in without the consent of the indigenous population? The villages are planned for sustainable development under Regional Plan and the natural resources available in the area belong to the local community. Water bodies like rivers, lakes and streams, agricultural land, hills, forests in the area are conserved, preserved and used for the wellbeing of the locals. But once, the area is categorized as urban, there are chances that these natural resources may vanish or even if they exist they may be misused. Hence the villagers are reluctant to accept the new notification.
However, how long can a village resist the onslaught of development when the cities and populations around it are growing? True, that once the population increases and mega projects begin to come up, the issues of garbage, illegal constructions and real estate prices will also scale up simultaneously. Urbanization does come with its own set of evils. And the doubts about vested interests on the part of the government cannot be totally nullified. Once the village is declared an urban area, it is likely that the builders lobbies, drug mafias, traffic congestion and the prices of land, shops and apartments will automatically rise as development is not a one way process.
On its part, the government is classifying the villages as urban areas mainly because of the issues with revenue. Coastal villages have significant real-estate business. However, being classified as rural areas, the revenue for the government from these areas remains low despite considerably high property prices. By declaring these areas as urban, the government hopes to increase its land revenue.
