the goan I network
MARGAO
What’s next on the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai’s mind as the 15-day extension granted for submission of objections to the land use map of Margao by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has ended on Monday.
The TCP Minister had given the extension after members of the civil society raised an uproar over the land use process as several land marks and other structures found no mention on the land use map prepared by a private agency at a cost of around Rs 17 lakh.
It’s now over 10 days since the land use map put in place by the private agency was sent back to the Margao Municipal Council along with the land use register to facilitate the elected councillors to submit the list of structures in their respective wards which did not find mention on the land use map.
Margao Municipal Council Vice-Chairperson Tito Cardozo, who was the acting Chairperson, when the land use map and register were sent to the civic body for objections and comments from the City Fathers, informed that the councillors did make a number of suggestions before the agency entrusted in putting the land use map in place. “I have been told that the councillors ensured that religious structures dotting in their respective wards were brought to the notice of the agency for incorporation in the land use map,” he said.
Similarly, Tito informed that the municipal technical engineers were told by the councillors to ensure that roads in their respective wards were shown on the land use map.
While the civil society comprising of Dr Francisco Colaco, Ethel Lobo, Piedade Noronha, Sanjeev Raiturcar, Avinash Tavares, Laurel Abranches and others had made a forceful plea to the SGPDA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar to scrap the land use map and initiate a fresh process, SGPDA Chairperson Dr Renuka Da Silva had given extension of time till April-end to facilitate the elected Margao Municipal councillors to study the land use map and make recommendations.
While SGPDA Chairperson Dr Renuka Da Silva was not available for comment on the next course of action on the SGPDA’s land use map and register, PDA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar told The Goan that the authority will take a call on how to go about the matter.
Ashok Kumar, who is presently out of station, told The Goan that the authority will meet soon and take a decision on the land use map.
Incidentally, at the last SGPDA meeting, the authority had resolved to constitute a committee comprising of MLAs Digambar Kamat, Ravi Naik and others to study the objections to the land use map and take appropriate decisions.
While the SGPDA had received only a paltry 60 objections from citizens for the land use map, the civil society had questioned the entire exercise, demanding to know why citizens did not participate in the major exercise, seeking extension of time.
This is perhaps the first time that the SGPDA has initiated the exercise of putting in place the land use map and register ahead of the preparation of the Outline Development Plan (ODP) for Margao.
