Team Herald
MARGAO: Following their successful recent protest rallies at Chinchinim and Bambolim, a large number of citizens from across Goa gathered at Loutolim, to push forward their demand for a new Regional Plan (RP) for Goa.
From young children to senior citizens, people from all walks of life were present for the rally on Saturday evening, holding placards, criticising the prevailing rampant land conversions in the State and shouting slogans about saving the fields and hills of Goa.
Loutolim village became a template of what the citizens wanted to save, given its lush green khazan fields and hills in the background.
There were speeches from local farmer leader Albert Pinheiro, former Loutolim Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes and Federation of Rainbow Warriors activists Abhijit Prabhudesai and Diana Tavares.
They are involved in the battle fought by Loutolim residents and farmers against the new Borim Bridge which is set to acquire a large portion of the khazan fields.
“We are in trouble due to the faulty Regional Plan. They have only shown one tiny portion as a khazan field even though we have so many khazan fields here. This is how the land acquisition process has gone ahead despite our objections,” said Pinheiro, while appealing to the citizens to support their fight against the construction of the Bridge, whose alignment goes through the khazan fields.
Prabhudesai recalled mass movements in the year 2006 and then in 2012 against RP 2011 and RP2021 respectively, which forced the government to abandon these plans. The green activist criticised the role of former TCP Ministers Atanasio alias Babush Monserrate and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in these flawed Regional Plans.
Prabhudesai then hit out at what is happening with the present amendments to the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, which he feared could finish Goa, in terms of large-scale land conversions in a year’s time.
He also referred to the recent issue of high sea water levels and this is a result of climate change, something that scientists have warned the public to act now if they want to save Goa.
Various other speakers including activist Mariano Ferrao, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders- President Amit Palekar, MLAs Cruz Silva and Venzy Viegas came down heavily on the actions of the TCP department and State government in allowing the identity of Goa to get changed due to these land conversions.
Silva said no permissions should be granted based until the new RP is formed, while Viegas recalled how the BJP, under former CM (late) Manohar Parrikar came to power against the 2006 protest to save Reis Magos hill, but the present BJP government has allowed major hill cutting at the same site.
Palekar added that these are being done to support vested real estate interests and not the local people of Goa.