MARGAO
The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA ) has come under focus with the government issuing a notification opening the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Margao and Ponda planning areas.
The government notification implies that the SGPDA will have to take a call on how to go about the planning exercise, more so in the light of the fact that the PDA had received over 163 objections and suggestions to ODP 2035 before TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane had suspended all ODPs in the State.
When The Goan called up SGPDA Member Secretary Vinod Kumar to shed light on the government notification on the ODP for Margao and Ponda, he said the authority will take a call on how to go about the exercise.
He said the government has issued the notification asking the authority to take the ODP process to the logical conclusion. When questioned whether the PDA will take the suggestions and objections received in December 2021 to the ODP into account as well as invite fresh suggestions and objections to the plan, Vinod Kumar was categorical in saying the Authority will take a call on all these questions at the meeting of the PDA scheduled on September 14.
This is perhaps the third time the ODP for Margao and Ponda will be opened for suggestions and objections in a space of three years. While the SGPDA headed by former chairperson Dr Renuka Da Silva had finalized and notified the ODP 2028 in 2019, the Pramod Sawant-headed BJP government again opened the ODP in 2021 to prepare the ODP for 2032.
The SGPDA headed by ex-Chairperson, Wilfred D’Sa had set the ball rolling to finalize the new ODP in December last year. The PDA was believed to have received around 123 suggestions and objections, including suggestions for zone changes, but before the exercise could be capped, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane suspended the ODPs across the State.
With the government issuing the notification on Monday opening the ODP for discussions, the SGPDA will deliberate on the ODP for the third time in the last three years.
SGPDA Member Secretary Vinod Kumar said it is purely for the authority to take a call on whether to take the objections and suggestions already received by the PDA in December or go for fresh objections and suggestions.
Sources in the know told The Goan that the majority of the 163 suggestions and objections received by the PDA to the ODP 2032 pertain to changes in land zone.
Officials pointed out that the applications were filed for a change in land zones, either from orchard to settlement, from settlement to C2 zone and from C2 to C1 zone.
That’s not all. The PDA had also received applications for change in zones for special residential zones, while one application had called for a change of part conservation zone.
Among the host of suggestions and objections received by the planning body to the draft-ODP 2032, includes the objection to the change in the zone of the Sonsodo land, which was acquired for kabrastan by the Margao Municipal Council a decade ago.
Before the SGPDA-constituted panel could go into the 163 suggestions and objections and prepare a draft ODP, the new government had suspended all the ODPs across the State.
