Draft Regional Plan 2021: Your Opportunity to Act

This was written some time back but is still relevant today with The Regional    Plan 2021 now being finalised. 

The idea behind this article is to motivate as many to read the actual text and  having read it, to make comments,suggestions and objections to the TCP Department. It in no way will attempt to be a synopsis of the actual document.

The RP task force was formed against a backdrop of the most successful people’s  movement in recent times. Hence any group, starting a new exercise to frame the  RP for Goa would have the people’s aspirations in front of them.

Still rather than depend on media reports and believe what was said during the   agitation to be the people’s will, the TF opened it doors to individuals (letters  also received), NGO’s, peoples rep, government departments who stated the      situation and their future plans. It was a massive exercise, but the underlying  appeal in all interactions was “Preserve Green & Golden Goa”. The TF attempted to keep minutes but to my mind an impossible task since the final product was      arrived by listening, reading, discussion, email, changing, adding, subtracting  in no particular order. My suggestion for future such exercises would be to video record every meeting for posterity.

Old wine in a new bottle seems to be the establishments response to the fact that Eco I and Eco II are marked accounting for almost 80% of Goa’s land area. What  is different this time is it is marked and the map is available to every Tom,    Dick and Bostiao. This was not true previously. Hence now that every one is aware it will be more difficult to manipulate on a case to case basis. 

This reference to mapping brings me to what I consider the best part of RP2021. One thing that even if all else fails (which it will not) still the RP2021 will be a very progressive document. That one aspect is mapping. For the first time the maps have been digitized. The base document was the TOPOGRAPHICAL (topo) sheet    and survey maps. These were correlated and reconciled. The reconciled maps were then cross checked with aerial and satellite to confirm the maps made. 

These digitized maps have now been overlaid with plans/data of Government        departments (power/ water) but more importantly map accurately the eco-senstitive zones of the State, non developable slopes have been identified, paddy field    marked based on land revenue records. All this points to one thing: TRANSPERANCY FOR AAM ADMI. Earlier the 2D paper maps allowed for a great deal of ambiguity andflexibility for interpretation. They were not easily available, now the digitized maps will be available at every panchayat/ Taluka office. 

The DRP 2021 also has not converted a square inch of land. The land use as shown in the maps is based on the RP2001, plus the approx 2000 gazette changes made    after that and 1971 settlements which were not shown in RP2001 earlier. This     implies that if you know a particular land was say an orchard and now in the DRP21 you notice it is showing as settlement, please notify the TCP department. They will check if what you say is true, because it is possible between 2001 and 2008, the land use might have been changed by a gazette notification. If there is no  notification then the error can and must be rectified. The people must be        vigilant; the TF has not changed any land use status. But the TF will accept that since the maps were built from scratch there is a possibility of errors creeping in. Doing a 100% check before releasing would have meant holding back the entire plan for eternity.

Coming back to the reason why we needed an RP: Planned, sustainable development. The TF has recommended that the Government develops the hinterland (midlands) to A) prevent the intra migration from Midlands to costal belt. B) Give opportunity to population around the areas selected. The hubs proposed are Pernem, Usgao-Dharbandora and Quepem. The logic was that these places lie on nodes created by the  intersection of major roads or with the railway. The major road is the proposed  bypass from Pernem to Canacona. This bypass would do two things it will take the load of the existing NH17,and two connect the hinterland better. Through traffic,ie traffic passing through Goa could use this bypass and thus reduce the traffic congestion on NH17. By developing nodes industrially it would provide alternative for livelihood.

The hubs have been designated as educational, medical, logistics and industrial. A cruise terminal and marinas have also been proposed to attract high end tourists. Given the unutilized land or buildings in industrial estates, the TF          recommended IDC to look at their future acquisitions again. The acquisitions     should only be in the areas around the proposed hubs and there should be         transparency in allotment and utilization which was found lacking. 

Despite objections from industry the DRP recommended restrictions on mining, due to the inherent nature of the business. Thus they felt that having mining        activity near a water body or inside the forest would not fit the description of sustainable. An emphasis was made on biotechnology as it supports enhancing the  agricultural activity which is important. Suggestions have been made to increase the agricultural land under cultivation. Chief among them is if a tenant keeps   his land fallow, it should revert to the Government and then handed over to      either a society or an individual who will till the same. This is actually an    existing law which needs strong political will to be implemented.

Education was another area where despite Goa’s high literacy rate, the system was found wanting. The jobs and the education was mismatched. The jobs and the      preferences were mismatched. For eg: why have steel units in the State when      locals do not want to work in them, they also use a lot of Goa’s scarce resource- power. Hence in future, non polluting industry which Goans prefer to work in    should be encouraged.

This can go on but that would distract the reader from the actual objective,     which is to motivate the reader to pick up the DPR 2021 and get involved. This is your chance to participate in the future of this State, if you care. A copy of  the DRP can be got form the TCP office on payment of Rs 400/- else visit the VP  or Taluka office and see the same there. The exercise will end Jan 11, 2009.     oppose if you must but be constructive and give an alternative. Awake dear friend, you have a lot at stake – “YOUR FUTURE”.