Goa Rejection Plan 2021

The Goa Regional Plan 2021 in its present form needs to be dumped by the public as it is nothing but Goa's Rejection Plan 2021. A fundamentally flawed plan cannot be straightened by cosmetic changes as recommended from certain quarters with vested interests. The RP 2021 is a grossly deceptive and erroneous plan that is sought to be put before the public as a people-friendly plan. Reliable sources reveal that this Goa RP 2021 is being marketed in Delhi circles as a Model Regional Plan by some vested interests on Government committees that are bidding for assignments to replicate it in other States. So the sudden noise against the RP -2021 has made these ambitious architects and engineers a little nervous about the national ramifications. May God forbid that such arrogant and deceitful planners and architects have their way in messing up other States. May Goencho Saib protect Goans from this tribe of double-faced professionals who claim to Save Goa.

Those who are not in favour of scrapping the RP-2021 forget that unless section 16, 16A and 17 are not eliminated from the Goa's Town and Country Planning Act, the present RP 2021 is fatal for the future of Goa. Unless sufficient safeguards are not put in place the RP remains a document that gets interpreted depending on whose interests have to be promoted. It cannot be forgotten that the Regional Plan has been separated from the Outline Development Plans. The RP -2021 under the present TCP Act is no guarantee that undesired and reckless development will not be brought into the village. What every Village Group is surprisingly also not talking about are the new building and zoning regulations which have also been put in place by a couple of players involved in preparing this monstrous RP 2021. By a mere play with colours in the Surface Utilisation Plan of RP 2021that are not striking to the eye, it cannot be assumed that this plan is more better than RP 2011 which was scrapped by public pressure. The goal posts have been changed since the scrapping of the RP 2011. Everyone needs to remember that a sizable section in the State Level Committee for the RP 2021 can be said to have a conflict of interest as they are actively, directly or indirectly involved with real estate and other construction projects. These hidden interests have been reflected in Goa's RP 2021 which to their misfortune are glaringly unfolding with every passing day. A Social Audit needs to be undertaken on the activities of these planners, engineers and architects who promote themselves as champions of the village people.

The basic truth is that the Regional Plan is the biproduct of an out-dated mischievous TCP Act which was put in place in 1975. This Act has been amended several times to the extent that it is rendered toothless and acts as a legal tool to cover up corruption and devious development agendas. While several ethical planners and architects have endorsed the view that the TCP Act needs to be replaced with a new one, the cartel of architects and engineers in people's movements discourage such an attempt. The reason is obvious. They have developed the expertise in showing loop holes in the law to their clients from Hamara Bharat. They have developed links in the TCP department to get their way on projects. So no sooner any talk of replacing the TCP Act emerges, the discussion gets diverted into non-relevant issues. You will find 'Flying Squads' set up to allay your fears of hill cutting and land filling. There will be unprecedented activity on village level planning and so on.

Unfortunately, the spiritual angle to every Goan People's Movement is terribly missing. By spirituality one does not mean the reciting of the Holy Rosary or singing hymns of St. Francis Xavier at the venue of public meetings or protests. By spirituality one means the humility and courage of every activist to reflect, introspect, recognise the shortcomings, adapt or amend the responses to a problem from time to time if needed. This synchronicity of mind and soul is grossly absent in the people's movements on the Regional Plan. Egos and ulterior motives of some activists dominate over any logical and rational approach to addressing the problems with the RP. As a result, emotions have predominantly blinded the reactions of the people from the real Truths. In the absence of spirituality, the people of Goa fail to detect the designs of politicians, real estate and industry cartel that go around as SAVE GOA volunteers.

A slogan in A.A says "First Things First". So, unless a sound TCP ACT is not put in place and in consonance with the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment, any attempt to straighten the RP is bound to be counter productive. If the common building regulations put in place by the real estate cartel are not scrapped simultaneously, the intervention of the people to plug loop holes in RP 2021 will remain a futile exercise. In other words, unless there are 2 yardsticks for development in Goa, one for villages and the other for urban areas, Goa's pristine villages and Goa's unique culture cannot be salvaged. There cannot be liberation for Goa as long as the people are imprudent and throw caution to the wind to become pawns in the hands of politicians and the angelic looking real estate cartel.

-Soter