AERIAL VIEW
For Rane, TCP is become a new business and to make matters worse, the under-pressure CM has also allotted him the Forest portfolio.
The question we need to ask Rane is, if he is so much interested in Goa and its planning, why not notify the Regional Plan for the State and scrap all ODPs. But no, he knows the issue of 16B matter is in High Court, and there would be no solution to that in the near future, so the CASH to CASH basis would not work.
So to make quick Vitamin M, the only way for the TCP minister is to open the ODPs. But the ODPs, too, have been just notified, so how does the new minister make money, suspend ODPs and keep it open.
For the last 10 years, none of the TCP ministers has been ready to redraw the Regional Plan for Goa. It was last late Francis D’Souza was making efforts and had finalised a few villages, but that too was scuttled after 2017.
In an unexpected move, the new Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane on Wednesday suspended all the Outline Development Plans for 60 days and called for a review.
It is no rocket science to understand that the sole motto of the TCM Minister is self-interest and Vitamin M, and there could be no other reason for the decision.
Now the question arises that the ODPs were notified long back and what happens to the plans passed by the PDAs and TCP based on the ODPs? Do they stand, or they, too are, suspended?
Rane says, “”By the decision to suspend the operation of ODPs as stated in the notification, we have respected the representations made by institutions such as Credai, Indian Institution of Architects, Confederation of Indian Industry, Institution of Engineers & Institute of Town Planners, Goa Regional Chapter, who are involved with planning processes in complete respect to the legal processes involved,” said Rane.
He said this is a Goa centric decision to ensure proper scrutiny is undertaken on the touchstone of procedures & law governing the domain of planning.
“We want to get merit-oriented & perfectly documented plans that revolve around the pure interest of the concerned planning area to the core,” he said.
However, there is nothing of this sort; Rane has no interest in Goa and Goans. We have seen that during his stint as the Health Minister, he played with the lives of the people during the COVID19 pandemic.
For Rane, TCP is become a new business and to make matters worse, the under-pressure CM has also allotted him the Forest portfolio.
The question we need to ask Rane is, if he is so much interested in Goa and its planning, why not notify the Regional Plan for the State and scrap all ODPs. But no, he knows the issue of 16B matter is in High Court, and there would be no solution to that in the near future, so the CASH to CASH basis would not work.
So to make quick Vitamin M, the only way for the TCP minister is to open the ODPs. But the ODPs, too, have been just notified, so how does the new minister make money, suspend ODPs and keep it open.
For the last 10 years, none of the TCP ministers has been ready to redraw the Regional Plan for Goa. It was last late Francis D’Souza was making efforts and had finalised a few villages, but that too was scuttled after 2017.
The reason for no takers for Regional Plans is public scrutiny. We had seen one of the biggest agitations to scrap RP in 2011 when Babush Monseratte was the TCP Minister. So no new ministers want to take that risk.
Not unnaturally, the Goans have protested and continued to protest. Those promoting wholesale industrialisation of the state cavil and complain that environmental agitations are the greatest disincentive to a better economy for the State.
They forget that even with the closure of mining, Goa’s GDP, over the past three years, averaged 9%, higher than the rest of India’s. Not wanting to get their image tarred by being associated with those bulldozing the environment for inappropriate development, the best names in the industry have remained aloof from Goa. Alas, that has brought in those with the undoubted capacity to do harm.
The State’s land use is controlled by the statutory Regional Plan, notified under the Town and Country Planning Act. Village level planning and land use is kept with Panchayats under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.
Both have significant inputs from the same villagers whose ancestors created the natural wealth and endowments of the State. Few of them want that to be dismembered. The opposition has never ceased since the government has no other wish but to impose. One former Chief Minister told the media that his word was law because he had been elected by a formal election, and therefore, he would do what he wanted, whatever the opposition.