The Hindu : Karnataka News : Keep Regional Plan open before notification, Goa Government urged

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Friday, Mar 25, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Keep Regional Plan open before notification, Goa Government urged

Special Correspondent

GBA says Government should fulfil its commitment
There is no guideline on corrections or insertions

PANAJI: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA), body spearheading campaign for appropriate land use, on Thursday reiterated its criticism of the State Government that it failed to keep its promises and assurances made in the Legislative Assembly to complete the State Regional Plan 2021 (RP2021) in time.

At a meeting held here on Thursday, the GBA demanded that the Government follow its own commitment and keep the finalised Regional Plan open for correction for 30 days prior to its notification. It has objected to piecemeal corrections undertaken by the Government in the RP2021 and warned that allowing changes post notification meant that the changes would be piecemeal, which the Government hoped would go unnoticed by the public, as opposed to a 30-day scrutiny period of the full plan before notification. Giving examples of anomalies, the GBA pointed out that till date the Government had no clear guidelines provided for many of its insertions.

Sabina Martins, Coordinator of GBA, said on Thursday that they had repeatedly asked for the minimum 30-day public scrutiny of the plans as was the norm primarily to check for insertions, errors, and backdoor entry of projects under amended Sections 16 and Section 16A of Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974, and projects under the Public Private Partnerships.

The GBA had demanded from the Government that the entire finalised RP 2021 comprising all taluks should be kept open in the respective taluk offices for at least 30 days for public scrutiny and corrections as per the guidelines circulated in the Draft RP 2021.

The GBA had called upon the people, Village Regional Plan Committees and groups to be vigilant about “unexplained insertions” in their village and taluk plans and take it up with the appropriate authorities to ensure a proper Regional Plan for Goa.

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