Team Herald
MARGAO: After activists found glaring mistakes in the Margao Outline Development Plan - 2031 (ODP) and amidst allegations that the ODP violates Urban and Regional Development plans formulation and implementation guidelines, the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has decided to verify these claims with site inspections on March 10.
NGO ‘Goyche Fuddle Pillge Khatir’ (GFPK) had filed a memorandum with the SGPDA in January, raising nearly 28 objections. Jack Mascarenhas, GFPK President, said the SGPDA has asked them to be present for the site inspections tomorrow.
“We demand that the SGPDA seriously consider our objections to this draft ODP-2031 and scrap it completely. Research-based sustainable development should be planned as per the available national guidelines, starting with formulating a land use policy for our State along with the State perspective plan,” said Mascarenhas.
Claiming that the SGPDA has carried out serious procedural blunders, GFPK slammed the major cartographic errors in a map prepared by private company Turbosktch for the Margao ODP, which shows roads with dead ends and railway lines with disjointed tracks in the town.
GFPK has demanded criminal proceedings on all four signatories to this plan who failed to identify the deficiencies - former Chairman Wilfred D'sa, Ranjit M Borkar, R Paulo Gomes and Prakash M Naik.
“Experts should have been consulted before preparing this ODP 2031, which should have also been explained to the citizens,” said Mascarenhas.
As pointed out by GFPK, this draft ODP has done away with the protection of heritage sites in Margao, a Sal River tributary that flows into Margao has been shown as blocked and reduced in width on the draft ODP 2031, in comparison with the ODP 2016.
“The ODP signals the destruction of the green lungs of Margao town, filling up of low-lying areas and comunidade paddy fields, several paddy fields are shown as settlement zones with a six-metre wide road to facilitate conversion of these low lying areas located next to the Manohar Parrikar sports complex at Navelim. Paddy fields behind MLA Vijai Sardesai’s residence in Fatorda are shown as settlement zones, defying the recognition of green and cultivable land,” the NGO pointed out.