The Goan people have taken to the streets to protest against the gross violations of law by builders and the government’s silence.
People are up against the rampant construction in idyllic Goa that threatens to change its face forever. In the last few years, Goa has been witnessing indiscriminate construction activity in many places. Hills and slopes are being cut to facilitate the construction of mega projects. Similar opposition was witnessed to Aldea de Goa – another mega real estate project near Bambolim beach in North Goa. There have also been protests against mega housing projects in talukas such as Salcette, Quepem in South Goa and Tiswadi, Bardez in North Goa. In 2006 Goa also witnessed statewide agitation against the fraudulently designed regional plan. The Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA), a parent body of many social organizations and NGOs was formed with Dr Oscar Rebello as its convener. The then Pratapsinh Rane government had to scrap the draft regional plan due to pressure. Later the Digambar Kamat government constituted a special task force to prepare a fresh draft for the regional plan. But activists have been claiming that the government is deliberately delaying the process of the new regional plan to accommodate construction activities in no development zones.
In fact the Goa government has been turning a blind eye to haphazard development activities of big private firms in some areas of this naturally gifted state. Many locals have been adversely affected due to development works like mega housing projects and have been up in arms against them.
Hundreds of agitating locals last week gathered in Cortalim, a village in South Goa, to oppose the work on the proposed Rs 136 crore DLF housing project at a nearby place – Dabolim. Almost all speakers at the public meeting alleged that the work undertaken was illegal on a number of counts and therefore it should be stopped immediately. Leaders of several social organizations and NGOs also got together in Cortalim to form a new committee – Save Our Slopes (SOS).
Amidst slogan-shouting it was resolved at the meeting that the chief town planner will be asked to revoke the permission to excavate the hill for the project. The meeting also threatened to forcibly stop the hill cutting if the chief town planner failed to revoke the permission given by him under the Town and Country Planning Act. In a follow up action, a delegation from the Save Our Slopes (SOS) and the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) handed over a memorandum to the chief town planner as decided at the public meeting held in Cortalim. The memorandum demanded the withdrawal of the hill-cutting permission given by the department despite the regional plan marking hills as no development zones.
The memorandum also pointed out that, “No NOC was given by the conservator of forest for development on forested hills, a mandatory requirement for development, and that the town and country planning office’s permission is therefore blatantly illegal. The town and country planning department also defaulted as it did not pursue the files of the project within the stipulated time and allowed the developer to avail of automatic permissions under the deemed clause which says that if the authorities do not give permission within the stipulated time the party gets automatic permission.”
Dr Oscar Rebello stated, “We are not against builders, we are not trying to kill real estate. Construction activity should be properly planned and should not affect environment and people.” He also alleged that, “Despite assurances by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to allow development in conformity with the people’s wishes, this had not been maintained. Ministers and MLAs are supporting this project clandestinely instead of coming out openly with their intentions.”
GBA member Arvind Bhatikar stated, “Why was not a single query raised by any authority regarding the project when the file was submitted. Mega projects should be defined in the context of the surrounding environment. Mega projects are exceeding the current status of the locality.” Alleging unwanted development by the planning and development authorities, he said, “Deemed permission for big projects by not granting them officially and allowing by default by letting the period for approval to lapse is unethical.”
GBA convener Sabina Martins said that the GBA had extended support to the Chicalim Citizens Action Committee, Cortalim-Quelossim United Villagers, Villagers for Protection of Sancoale and Concerned Residents of Mormugao, associations formed by locals in the adjoining areas to save the fragile hill slopes and natural heritage. A villager from Cortalim Antonio Fernandes said, “Save Our Slopes was an emergency like SOS, as projects rejected in the previous regional plan were finding their way back.”
Interestingly, the town and country planning department has refrained from making any comment on this issue. Local MLAs have conveniently avoided appearing in any of the meetings. The state government also has not interfered even after the public demanded to do so. “This shows that the government authorities have decided to turn a blind eye to peoples’ demand and allow rampant construction activities,” claimed angry activists from Dabolim and Sancoale.