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The Convenor of the Santa Cruz Constituency Citizens
Committee Ms Victoria Fernandes, INC MLA (Santa Cruz
and Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly has
at a press conference this morning at Hotel Manvin
Panaji announced a "jail bharo" ANDOLAN on 8th
November, 2005 at 1400 hrs IST from the Panaji Steamer
Jetty just near the Old Secretariat Adil Shah Palace
demanding
a) withdrawal of the controversial Town and Country
Planning ordinance of 29th September, 2005
b)withdrawal of revenue villages from Tiswadi and
Bardez taluka from the Planning areas under North Goa
Planning Development Authority and
c) withdrawal of all PDA's also from Municipalities as
demanded by several other NGO's and citizen groups
opposing the ordinance and the PDA's
The plan of action which is week long will see similar
peaceful protests from villagers of the revenue
villages affected and also at Margao and Mapusa.
While the ground swell is clearly against the
political establishment what is now being viewed with
great interest is whether the Minister of Town &
Country Planning's proposal in the form of the
ordinance will remain on the statute books or the
voice of veteran politician Ms Victoria Fernandes will
prevail.
There are rumours doing the round that MLA Margao Mr
Digamber Kamat who was the number 2 in the BJP has
clearly fallen out of grace with most of the
politicians in the Indian National Congress following
his insistence on the assurance before quiting to be
given the plum posting of Deputy Chief Ministership.
The Nationalist Congress Party Mr Francisco Micky
Pacheco Minister for Agriculture and Animal Husbandary
is clearly upset with the attitude of CM Mr Pratapsing
Raoji Rane over slow movement of files, which makes
him non functional in the discharge of his normal
duties.
There is a finger pointing at Mr Radharao Gracias
according to some sources as being the master mind
behind the drafting of the contents of the ordinance
at the behest of Mr Monserrate apparently to gain a
clout for seats for the United Goans Democratic Party.
There is also talk that the Nationalist Congress
Party of Dr Wilfred A D Souza will be trying to
clobber a better foothold in the State by engineering
defections or ensuring the collapse of the Goa
Government.
CM Mr Rane has however maintained a no nonsense
attitude and warned his partymen of imminent
dissolution of the Assembly a move which did not go
well with the INC MLA's who have tasted power after
nearly four and half years. From 24 October 2000 to
4th February 2005 they were out in the cold nearly
with empty coffers. But a new lease of life came
about thereafter and more specifically after
Presidents rule ended on 7th June 2005 when the
present coalition government was ushered in.
One school of thought among INC partyment is that the
new delimitation will come to effect in 2007 and
therefore one way for ensuring elections in the
existing constituencies will be by holding the
election well before the Budget session in February
2006.
But with the IFFI near on 24.11.2005 upto 4.12 .2005
and Ms Victoria Fernandes hell bent on the agitation,
incidentally she had also addressed a memoradum on the
ill effects of the ordinance to the President of India
during his special addresss to the Goa Legislative
Assembly, there is one certainity that the INC will
have to silence Ms Fernandes or settle her demands.
Incidentally with the delimitation of wards of the
Corporation of City of Panaji to 30 wards and most of
the 16 wards coming in Taleigao Assembly Constituency
, 12 in Panaji Assembly Constituency and just two
wards in the Sanata Cruz Assembly Constituency there
is little doubt that Mr Atnasio Babush Monserrate can
have a clout on both the CCP and the Taleigao Assembly
Constituency if he secures and simple majority of 16
seats only of Taleigao Constituency.
This probabilty has been noted by many and therefore
the ordinance which will reduced the Regional Plan of
2011 which is unfortunately not notified even after
over two months since the Draft was put up for public
suggestions clearly indicates the the TCP Minister or
the Department and not the Municipalities or
Panchayats will have the decision making power in the
develoment activities which is envisaged following the
73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment in 1992.
What is further surprising that there is more than the
eye can see to the ordinance is clear from the fact
while the the Parrikar government had included certain
revenue villages in Salcette in the Margao Planning
area and other areas of Panaji Ponda Mapusa besides
Vascoda Gama the first act of the Congress when Mr
Rane took over on 4th Febrauary, 2005 was to scarp all
the PDA's but surprisingly while nothing was discussed
on the revival of the PDA's during the month long
Budget session which ended on 3oth August 2005,
doubts have been raised on the need for the ordinance
on 29th September, 2005 which amends sections 17 29 33
and 56 of the Town and Country Planning Act. The
Governor who signed the same makes a mention in the
ordinance that " circumstances exist which render it
necessary for him to take immediate action" and
therefore the ordinance, the public stand numbed of
their senses to understand the circumstances that
arose between the budget session end and the date of
the ordinance.
There is a finger pointing to one Sahara Group which
has been looking for sattelite township in Goa but its
Chairman was reported out of public view for sometime
. But this could be a mere needle of suspicion. What
is surprising is the deafening silence of the other
politicians mainly from the coastal talukas where land
fragmentation violations and destruction of
communidades or "gaunkaries" is rampant.
It may interest readers to note that when the Law
Minister Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane then in the MGP in
1974 introduced the bill of the Town and Country
Planning in September 1974 the then leaders Mr Eduardo
Faleiro MLA Curtorim Mr Anant Narcinva Naik MLA Margao
Mr Roque Santana Fernandes MLA had objected to the
hurried attempt to pass the bill without whetting it
in the select committee.
The arguments then was that the Town and Country
Planning Act was alread delayed when it ought to have
been in place after Liberation and there was as a
result of this delay unchecked developement activities
in Vasco Da Gama etc according to MGP MLA late Mr
Menino Jesus Luta Ferrao,even Mr Ramakant Khalap also
supported the immediate passage of the bill calming
the opposition stating that the TCP was meant non only
for building activity as is commonly believed but to
plan for the entire talukas of the Union Territory.
Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane who tried hard to convince
the Opposition that the word "cantonment" included in
the Act when no such cantonment existed then in Goa
was referred to Military establishments in Goa could
not succeed in nullifying the opposition MLA's
contention that the Bill was a mere copy of the ---
copy of the Maharashtra TCP Act of 1966 .
It was also decided then that the Regional Plan should
not be amended often so that it would set a deterrent
for those interested in lopsided development yet since
1986 till date there have been onver 923 changes made
in the zoning from settlement to commercial etc; what
is ironical is that agriculture land has been kept
fallow for three years only to have commercial
structures in place.
With the ordinance this process will be expedited and
it will be a boon to realators from all over India to
descend on te new found El Dourado -- tiny Goa.
Hence the opposition from well meaning citizens to the
battle of Ms Fernandes. Unfotunately except for Mr
Dayanand Narvekar MLA who pleaded ignorance over the
Cabinet decision relating to the ordinance but has
done nothing thereafter it is clear his opposition is
a mere gimmick. The BJP has maintained a stoic
silence perhaps waiting to stike when infighting comes
to the fore.
>From the Panaji end
GODFREY J I GONSALVES
BORDA MARGAO GOA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
9822158584
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