By Marcellus D’Souza

Apr 28: Vishwajit Rane, Goa’s Town & Country Planning Minister suspended all the proposed ODP or Outline Development Plan in Goa with immediate effect.
The ODPs that are suspended are Candolim, Calangute, Nagoa-Arpora and Parra, Vasco, Panjim, Kadamba Plateau, Mapusa and Margao.

Vishwajit Rane said “The decision to suspend the ODP was taken in consultation with all stake owners. If there are large discrepancies the ODPs will be rewritten”.
“People who have started work will not be disturbed but those who have not started work should follow the Regional Plan of 2021”, the Minister added.

All these ODPs will remain suspended for two months and the Regional Plan 2021 will be applicable to these areas in the absence of ODPs.

Rane said that Regional Plan Goa 2021 will be applicable for Calangute-Candolim planning areas and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra planning area while, ODP Plan 2026 will be applicable for Vasco-Da-Gama planning area until further orders.

The Minister said that a committee headed by Chief Town Planner Rajesh Naik will review and examine various discrepancies reported in these ODPs and the same will be rectified.

The senior town planner (North) is the convenor of the committee, while its members are senior town planner (South); Avez Azim Shaikh, joint secretary of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI); Amit Sukhthankar, chairman of Indian Institute of Architects (IIA); Akash Khaunte, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); Gajanan Kenkre, chairman of Institute of Engineers (India); Snehalata Pednekar, member of Institute of Town Planner India, Goa Regional Chapter and member secretaries of North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) and Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA).

The committee will scrutinise all the discrepancies in the ODPs and will submit its report to the government within a period of 60 days from the date of issue the notification, which will come into force with immediate effect.

The North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) notified the ODP-2030 of the Arpora-Nagoa-Parra planning area on July 11, 2021. “Now it has been suspended by the minister as its working was not found to be transparent”.

The state government has opened up the ODP 2031 for Margao, Ponda, Kadamba Plateau and Panaji, even though the present plans are valid till 2028. This was done three months before the elections could be notified.

The South Goa planning and development authority (SGPDA) and the Greater Panaji Planning & Development Authority (GPP) have kept the ODPs of the planning areas for viewing. The planning bodies have also given a two-month period for inputs regarding change of land use and zone change.