Rally demands scrapping of RPG21
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 16 December 2011 21:02 IST
A rally organized in Panaji today demanded scrapping of the Regional Plan 2021 and reconstituting of a new State Level Committee.
The protests from various villages against errors in the RPG21 culminated into a rally, which was attended by around 3000 people from all over Goa.
A resolution adopted at this rally demanded that the government should appoint a new SLC headed by India’s renowned town planner Edgar Rebeiro.
Rebeiro had resigned from the SLC. He was earlier the vice chairperson of the task force appointed by the government to prepare the draft regional plan.
The rally also demanded that the new RPG21 be formulated, based on the draft regional plan, through a fresh participative process at panchayat level.
The resolution also stated that the new SLC be consisted of town planners, traffic experts and disaster management experts and not just the architects.
Speakers at the rally termed the present RPG21 as builder-friendly plan.
Chief minister Digambar Kamat, who heads the SLC, had pointed out that scrapping of the RPG21 would mean bringing back Regional Plan 2001 back into force.
The RPG01, he had said, provides 80 FAR throughout Goa, no eco sensitive zones and almost seven crore square metres of green land shown as settlement, which the SLC had included in the eco-sensitive zones.
But speakers at the rally refused to buy the argument and stated that the CM is misguiding the people.
The existing SLC consists of renowned architects like Padmavibhushan Charles Correa, Rahul Deshpande, Dean D’Cruz and Bryan Soares.
The protests against the errors in Regional Plan had begun after all the taluka plans were released.
Following people’s protests over errors in the RPG, the government had asked the panchayats to hold gramsabhas and send their suggestions by 5 December.
The date has been now extended to 20 December.
However, according to SLC members, 80 per cent of the letters received from the people and gramsabhas pertained to converted green land into settlement zones.
What is the problem with Digamber Kamat!.Is the Mining fiasco & scam & Corruption, under his Ministership and with his blessing and with his allegiances to his Mining in-Laws ,causing him sleepless nights?Has he been learning the "BLACKMAIL " trade firom Churchill Alemao.Was his speech ,with gusto & Passion, in the presence of Sonia Gandhi, a scheming & calculating move on his part to be seen as a tough C.M.?
If the RP2021 cannot be rectified by concensus, to satisfy the Goan Public and by public demand, may I suggest you leave the State of Goa for good.You have left the State of Goa in an utter mess.Your Ministers are all into scams and corrupt dealings.Please take all of your Real Estate Builders with you when you leave.Goa will be a better place without your child-like tantrums and broken promises.