Goa: Revolutionary Goans Party stages protest against amendment to TCP Act

Activists and leaders of the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) on Friday marched to the office of the state Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department here to protest against the recent amendment to the Goa Town and Country Planning Act.

The RGP has accused state TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane of taking a unilateral decision to amend the Act, without taking locals into confidence. The party claimed that the amendment will give unbridled control over the use of land to certain lobbies.

The recent amendment will benefit the hospitality industry and entertainment sector in the form of film cities. More than 200 people under the banner of the RGP marched to the TCP office in Patto area in Panaji and were stopped by the police.

A delegation, including RGP chief Manoj Parab, party MLA Viresh Borkar and another official met a TCP official at the department's head office. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Parab accused the state government and Rane of trying to overburden the resources of the state in order to please certain lobbies.

“The government does not have data about how many Goans do not have a house of their own, but it is busy creating multi-dwellings for non-Goans,” the party chief said. MLA Borkar said the state government should publish the details of the amended act in local Konkani and Marathi languages so that people understand and approve what it has decided.

Recently, in a bid to implement the amended Goa Land Development and Building Construction (Amendment) Regulations 2022 Act, the TCP Board led by Rane invited public suggestions and objections within 30 days to finalise the draft regulations.

The last date for accepting the suggestions is September 27, 2022. In a post on Facebook on Thursday, Rane stated that while deciding the activities that would be permitted, the department had taken care to ensure that they do not densify the areas and put additional burden on the state's infrastructure.

The department has decided to engage the services of the Indian Green Building Council, which will assist in the design and monitoring of various projects, he said. “Aspects related to resource conversation will be adhered to, which will include site planning and management, environmentally friendly landscape species selection, material selection, energy efficiency, operation and maintenance, installation of sewage treatment plants, creation of catchment areas to ensure that the project is self-sufficient in water requirements and organic and non-toxic fertilizers to be used,” Rane wrote in the social media post. He further said that the provision of golf course and film city was already made under the Regional Plan 2021, however, clarity is now provided by these regulations.

“We are here to accept your constructive and positive suggestions, and are here to work towards the benefit of our state,” the minister had stated.