Church points out ‘glaring distortions’ in RP-21, in letter to chief minister

Goa, December 14, 2011: The Council of Social Justice and Peace, the social arm of the Church in Goa, has hit out at the state government for what it terms are “glaring distortions” in the Regional Plan 2021.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Fr Maverick, claiming to represent the voters of Goa, has said that “those involved in the final preparation of the Notified RP-2021 have ignored the aspirations and genuine recommendations of the Gram Sabhas and Nagar-Palikas, who sacrificed immense time and resources in preparing their correct maps and plans.”

“The voters are outraged because the whole exercise has been distorted and as it stands today, is a threat to the ecology and the existence of the Goan people and further compounded with vague, irrational and contradictory planning policies and laws such as the introduction of MIZs, Eco-tourism Zones, indiscriminate increase in settlement zones, development in Eco-sensitive zones and NDZs, Amendments to Sections 16, 16A and 17 in the TCP Act and the new The Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010. Unless and until the Government rectifies all the above mentioned Acts, Amendments, Regulations etc, the Goa Regional Plan will continue to be unacceptable,” Fr Maverick said as he minced no words asking for the plan to be rectified.

To support his claims, Fr Maverick pointed out several instances, where he felt that the planner had erred.

Dealing with the issue of roads, Fr Maverick questioned how the Roads, with ‘Road Right of Ways’, 15m and more in width are proposed even in the interior lanes of Villages.“Examples are Wangal Ward in Keri Ponda; Borvon, Zoida, Vaigan Wards in Nachinola; Caraim in Caraim-Chodan; Gaddir Vanxem Ward in Loutolim;  Baida Ward in Nuvem. These have been objected to by the voters as absolutely unnecessary, and are obviously fraudulently inserted in the Plans for the benefit of Real Estate Developers.

The letter also brought to light a few inconsistencies in the regional plan such as “in Release 3 an entire village is shown as VP2, but just the opposite is seen in Release 1, where only part of the same village is listed under VP2 and the other part under the ODP for non-PDA areas.
In a certain village, the Surface Utilisation Plans show cultivable lands but the tabulation shows that cultivable land as NIL,” Fr Maverick said without naming the villages concerned.

The Council of Social Justice and Peace said “In the meanwhile, the Government must stop granting any permissions, with the exception of single dwelling units in settlement areas, under the notified RP-2021 (not accepted in its present form), in consonance with Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations 2010,” Fr Maverick said.

“The glaring distortions on the Maps and the text’s of the Releases are: marking some forests (public/private), scrub vegetation, grazing lands as Natural Cover whereas they have to be clearly classified and shown in the maps as private forests, fublic forests, scrub vegetation, and grazing lands separately.

The unique khazan lands – sluice gates system have been shown as fields whereas they have to be distinctly classified and marked as khazans or kher or morods. Khazans form part of the Eco-sensitive Zone I, whereas in the Notified RP 2021 in Release I  under Appendix XI, No III, ‘Khazan Lands’ are clubbed with  ‘Paddy fields’

– herald