Panaji, Mar 2 (TOI): The town and country planning (TCP) board on Friday adopted and approved the outline development plans for Fatorda, Margao and Ponda which unveils our vision 2028 for the Goan cities of the future, town and country planning (TCP) minister Vijai Sardesai said.

Speaking to reporters post the 165th TCP board meeting, Sardesai said that for the first time, macro-level design and micro-level diligence have been blended to create a vision that is focused on everything quintessentially Goan.

“We will also conceptualise a comprehensive development plan (CDC) where international expertise will be merged with local culture to create a new aspirational, stylish, neo-Goan identity,” he said. Goemkarponn will form the foundation on which these cities will be conceptualised and built.

“We have created avenues such as the Opinion Poll Square which will highlight the father of the Opinion Poll, Jack Sequeira. We are in the process of implementing the Goan Tinto Project where heritage conservation will be the focus, eventually leading to heritage walks for tourists to learn about our architectural heritage and history,” Sardesai said.

These planned cities, he said, will be inclusive, sustainable, scientific and exemplary centres of excellence which will signal a new stylish and proud identity, in tune with emerging, aspirational Goa. “These cities will boost economic, social and cultural growth and promote happy and healthy living,” he said.

Also on the cards is a plan for an agriculture hub which will be a model of community farming involving a collaboration between the government and people. The community farming hub will come up on 1.75 lakh sqm land at Margao earmarked for urban development.

“We have not only changed zones and increased FAR, which has become symptomatic with ODPs, but we have thought of Goans who are poor and earmarked 10,000sqm of land for low-cost housing projects,” Sardesai said.

Stressing that the ODPs are focused on the ideology of ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’, Sardesai accused Margao MLA Digamber Kamat and Ponda MLA Ravi Naik of oppising the same only for the sake of opposing.