Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Minister for Town and Country Planning Vishwajit Rane has termed teh Regional Plan 2021 as a huge scam and claimed that the SLC Members benefitted from it.
“After a detailed interaction with CTP James Mathews and Town Planner Vinod Kumar, lots of things have been brought to my attention regarding the illegalities on the RP-21. I went through all the plans that were signed by SLC members and was amazed to see how some of the members arbitrarily changed the zone of certain properties into a settlement zone only for the sole benefit of their own professional practice,” Rane wrote.
He said a file came across to him on a village called Azossim where 3 lakhs sq. mtrs. of forest have been removed and shown as the settlement by the same SLC.
“I have been told that if we evaluate this today, it is more than a 500 crore scam. Interestingly, it has also been demarcated, so the private forest area that remains is about 6,000–9,000 sq mtrs., while the other area has been removed from the private forest where the SLC didn’t have the authority to do so, and this area was bought by some other builder, AND IT IS GIVEN TO MY UNDERSTANDING HOW SOME OF the INVOLVED PEOPLE HAVE GOT BENEFIT OUT OF IT,” Rane charged.
Hence, he added, “I would like the people of Goa to know that this RP-21 was a big scam. A non-Goan member of the SLC who does not possess any required qualifications of a town planner has played such a fraud on Goa; it is shocking that the height of illegalities has been done only to promote his self-profession practice.”
Rane continued, “I will involve a top agency to work on this report to be submitted on the floor of the House; experts are working simultaneously. After going through this, it was interesting to know the comments of the SLC members and how arbitrarily, areas were removed only to accommodate their own agenda and benefits. Leave aside defending and saying government departments are taken into confidence; all I can say is I am in a state of shock.”
He said if just one file of 3 lakh sq mtrs smells like a scam of 500 crores, just imagine the scale of the scams that have been pulled in the RP-21.
“I have also seen an area in Arpora where an area having farmhouses was entirely converted into a settlement zone when there is no provision to convert private forest into a settlement, and here too, a member of SLC is involved,” he charged.
This, he said, is more significant as the remark on plans clearly mentions that this is a forest area, and yet it has been conveniently ignored.
“Even a zig-zag road is proposed to this property through forest area which is entirely through the undeveloped slope,” he disclosed.
In addition, Rane says, he has also been shown another area in Assonora where a resort has been put in the CADA area.
“…and I have learnt that a member of SLC is fully behind it and do so for his personal gain in grabbing the project. The SLC has played a fool with the people of Goa. A detailed analysis is being done, and I am waiting to place the report on the floor of the House. I will also make a detailed presentation to all the members of the assembly on what the RP-21 was and what happened,” he said.
Comment