TCP shakes up planners at NGPDA, MPDA

Panaji: In a major reshuffle within the town and country planning (TCP) department, North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) member secretary R K Pandita has been transferred and asked to report back to the TCP head office.

Senior town planner Vertika Dagur will replace him while continuing in her present role at the North Goa TCP office.

As part of the shake up, member secretary for the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) Ritesh Shirodkar has also been transferred and deputed to the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (Goa IPB). Shirodkar will serve on the board’s Planning Development and Construction Committee (PDCC), which approves building plans and change of zone for big ticket investment projects on private land.

Chief town planner James Mathew issued the order on Wednesday and directed the officer to hand over the existing responsibilities with “immediate effect and submit compliance.”

The reshuffle came as a surprise for many with Goa IPB officials unaware of the transfers.

Shirodkar will replace senior town planner Vinod Kumar Chandra who was on deputation to the PDCC.

The PDCC is a notified body under the Goa IPB which deals with the investment promotion areas notified by the state government.

“The committee issues clearances for planning and construction permissions for investment projects without files going to the TCP. The committee, which has the chief secretary and the two district collectors, was of the opinion that a town planner is required to take care of the technical clearances,” said an official of the Goa IPB.

The reshuffle comes weeks after the NGPDA withdrew permission for hill-cutting and construction to the Jaipur-based Manglam Group after a site inspection revealed that the construction firm had violated norms.

TCP minister Vishwajit Rane conducted a site inspection and issued directions to immediately revoke all permissions granted to the company’s River Valley project.