WHO is Goa Bachao Abhiyan FOOLING?

What was GBA doing about the TCP Act since 2007? Why did it collaborate in the RP-2021 process under the same old TCP ACt? Why have the counter views expressed by the participants at this consultation not figuring in this news report? Was this report a press release by GBA? Goa Bachao Abhiyan presses for amending TCP Act TNN | Apr 3, 2013, 04.35 AM IST PANAJI: The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) has decided to demand an amendment to the state TCP Act to bring it in consonance with the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. The GBA reached this consensus at a public consultation meeting on the Regional Plan 2021 held in the city on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by activists from across the state. While some activists felt that the Regional Plan 2021 should be totally scrapped, others were of the opinion that the necessary changes should be made to the existing plan and the contentious aspects such as the golf courses and marinas should be removed from it. GBA convenor Sabina Martins cautioned that in the absence of RP 2021, the RP 2001will be in effect and this will effectively help the builders' lobby. She said the government was coming up with new rules to circumvent existing regulations all the time and cited the khazan lands issue as an example. She made a strong pitch for amending the TCP Act to go about the Regional Plan process as per the 73rd and 74th amendments. This had been envisioned by the GBA at the time of its inception, she added. Reboni Saha, member of the GBA, also underscored the need "to attack at the root" and hence amend the TCP Act, particularly since the government was attempting to stifle local self-governing bodies like gram sabhas. "The government is very clever at sidetracking issues," she said. The government's decisions are not in the interest of the people, Saha added. Venita Coelho, activist, felt there needs to be alternative criteria and guidelines in place before any scrapping of the plan. She cited the example of Kerala where she said there was no TCP and all the village development planning is done at the village-level. Anand Madgavkar, activist, felt the entire state should be brought under the Regional Plan and no parts of the state kept separate under ODPs. He also criticized piecemeal planning and said the entire plan should come out in one go. He also advocated transparency in the methodology adopted for the RP process. Jose Philip Pereira of Village Groups of Goa said that there should be a complete halt on all mega projects and that no constructions should be permitted on the basis of proposed roads. Anabelle Pereira, activist, lamented that there was no enforced implementation of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments in Goa. Laxmi Gonsalves, former Majorda sarpanch, called for time-bound changes to the RP, as well as proper definitions for mega projects. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goa-Bachao-Abhiyan-presses-for-amending-TCP-Act/articleshow/19353854.cms