The following article is from today's Herald. More power to the Goan people as they stand up to protect Goa.
CM has assured RP 2021 in next 6 months: GBA HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MARCH 4 Goa Bachao Abhiyan Convenor Sabina Martins said Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had assured them the Regional Plan 2021 would be finalised in the next six months and henceforth no permissions would be given for constructions in eco-sensitive zones. Addressing media persons outside the CM’s Altinho residence, here, after a half-an-hour long meeting on Thursday evening, Sabina, who is also the GBA spokesperson, informed that Kamat had assured the GBA delegation that taluka-level plans will be released and kept open to the public every month. She said the CM also assured the delegation no NOCs (no objection certificates) would be granted for constructions in eco-sensitive zones, mangrove areas, cultivable fields and cutting of hills and that he would issue the necessary instructions in this regard at the forthcoming Town and Country Planning (TCP) board meeting. Sabina said the CM, who is also the TCP minister and chairman of the TCP board, had also committed to dealing with permissions granted for illegal projects in villages on a case–to-case basis. “We have told the village groups to make individual files wherever violations were found and place them before the CM,” she stated. She said they had been told by the CM that he would issue directions to the TCP to address the press on the status of the RP after every 15 days till the time of its finalisation. Besides Sabina, the members of the delegation that met the CM included Dr Oscar Rebello, Miguel Braganza, Claude Alvares, Anthony D’Silva and some village leaders. Sabina observed the fact that people waited so long to have a word with the CM outside his residence was a sign they were fed-up over the sorry state of affairs in their villages and were willing to come on to the streets to agitate. Earlier, between 3 pm and 3.30 pm nearly 400 people including village leaders and 25 groups assembled at the TCP office in Patto, here. A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Town Planner Morad Ahmed, who pleaded helplessness as there were no AutoCAD operators with him to incorporate the RP inputs on to the computer. Ahmed assured the delegation he would take up their demands but was helpless as far as policy decisions were concerned. At this point the large gathering spontaneously decided to walk to the CM’s residence and have a discussion on this subject and place forth their several demands. But by the time (at around 5 pm) the people reached the CM’s residence he had moved out from there. But the villagers were adamant to meet him and talk business over the delay of RP. After Dr Oscar Rebello spoke to the CM on phone informing him that the agitating people were willing to spend the night outside his residence, Kamat returned for a meeting with the GBA delegation.
