Goan Regional Plan 2110
Mr. Plastino D'Costa
The recent scrapping of the Regional Plan 2011 by the Government of Goa, might
go a long way in having a positive impact on the society. However, some Goans
are in self doubt if they have taken the right stand, therefore it is important
to find out the actual reasons why Goans really objected to this Plan so
strongly.
The positive impact on the society being that people have found a voice and the
Government has acknowledged this, by reversing a decision and chose not to go
against the people wishes. This is in keeping with the recent trends all over
the world, that Governments are prepared to keep an open mind and reverse wrong
decisions. Another positive impact on Goans is that for the first time Goans
have realized, they don't have to be in politics or depend on politicians to do
good to the society. Many Goans will now realize that there are people outside
of politics that care for Goa, and the recent movement that generated steam and
brought most Goans on board has proved this.
What went wrong then? Why did a 5 year plan which took equal number of years to
prepare did not go well with the average Goan. Surely there is some soul
searching to be done. The Planning think-tank who were assigned this project
have to now head back to the drawing boards and re-draft the plan again that is
acceptable to Goans. Of course no plan can satisfy everybody, and Goans are
already running a reputation as party spoilers to development, but to be fair
on Goans, we need to think why we object to everything every time.
Political parties when in Government have a tendency to make short sighted
plans for 5 years, maybe to make sure their plan does not outlive their term in
office and also it does not benefit the other political party just in case they
lost power. Even consultants sometimes when hired, try to replicate a plan
which might have worked for a different state or a country without taking into
consideration the local factors. Therefore no plan will work if you don't think
long term and if you don't take into consideration the people aspirations,
after all plans are not all about number crunching.
Goans today are waking up from their siesta and might not trust any plan,
because over a short period of time, history has shown them that any planned
development has not actually benefited Goans. Some might argue that Goans are
not qualified enough or have an attitude to take menial jobs, if that is the
case than we need to think of a plan where we first get people qualified, or
change the attitude of the people and then talk of development. Today for an
average Goan, an Institute of Technology and Science built on prime land means
nothing, even if some miniscule Goans might have benefited, the fact remains
that if our basic school systems is in shambles, how can we expect Goans to
take benefit of an Institute of this caliber.
Same goes for the great hotels that have been built, at the most have only
created entry level jobs for Goans, maybe brought taxes to the exchequer which
in any case does not benefit the grass root Goan. The Konkan railway has still
not lived upto expectations as a preferred mode of transportation. Goans still
struggle to get reservations or still hope for an exclusive train for Goa to
Bombay which runs at the promised speed, not to mention the slums it has
created.
So how can we come up with a plan that will develop Goa, benefit Goans and at
the same time maintain the ecology and thereby its identity. This makes for a
strong case of a broader plan, a long term plan, a 100 year plan like the
Japanese, a plan which prioritizes what comes first. Perhaps a Regional Plan
2110 for 103 years. A plan which focuses on basic education for the first 10
years, then plan for the higher education. We can't plan and have an Institute
of Technology and Science and forget to build the basic primary school.
If Retail is the next bit thing that will hit India, then maybe Goa is still
not ready for it, because Goans still have to figure out how to dispose of the
attractive packing material which will come with the merchandise. Till then we
should be ready to live with the good old Mom Pop stores. So any plan should
first address the garbage disposal mechanism and then make way for these retail
giants. Prioritizing and longevity of the plan will be the key in drafting an
acceptable plan.
The fact that Goans are cynical of any short term plan is because they doubt
the broader long term plan. Any plan which shows a short version and does not
mention the long broad plan is going to be a hard sell to any government.
Meantime Goans also must realize that every objection and victory comes with
some responsibility, Goans now having made their point collectively, that we
want to protect the environment will have to walk the talk, by taking
individual responsibility for what they
