We need CDP not ODP, Taleigaokars tell NGPDA

PANAJI: Taleigao’s rising skyline should be controlled to develop it into an urban village by protecting its environment through a comprehensive development plan (CDP) and not a concrete jungle for the interests of a few, say villagers and others.
A section of the villagers and others are opposing any alterations that would bring in more concretization, destruction of greenery in foothills and hill slopes, rendering the area vulnerable to landslides.
“Taleigao should be developed into an urban village instead of a concrete jungle. The skyline of future development should be controlled while correcting the current outline development plan (ODP). A proper plan must be worked out to suit the aesthetics and its surroundings,” Dattaprasad M Naik, BJP Taleigao Mandal president said.
Naik and a group of Taleigao villagers submitted a memorandum to North Goa planning and development authority (NGPDA) member secretary R K Pandita with suggestions for improvements in the Taleigao ODP.
“The authority should have drawn up a CDP instead of reopening the ODP, as it is a better planned exercise under provision of the law,” Pundalik Raiker, a villager said.
Agreed Xavier Almeida, another villager, “As per Section 31 of the Town and Country Planning Act, a CDP has to be prepared. Further, section 39 (1) requires preparation of surveys. No report after surveys has been prepared. Also, no report was ever prepared in the process for preparation of the ODP itself, as notified in February 2006. Hence, any further alterations and additions are illegal,” he said.
The villagers are opposed to any conversion of agricultural land, farm lands and orchids into settlement or commercial zone in the corrected/altered ODP.
“No more proposals should be allowed for development of roads to be built in farm lands which will mutate the property further and make it a builders’ hub,” Naik said.
The villagers alleged that local politicians have started reclamation of paddy fields.
“Reopening of ODP purportedly only for corrections would only give legal sanctity to illegal changes of zones and would be against the resolutions of the gram sabha,” Almeida said.
Further, Almeida said that paddy fields in survey no 292/1 and other parcels are are in the process of illegal conversions. Complaints are pending before NGPDA and PDA, but the slow process raises doubts about a nexus between builders, local politicians and others, he alleged.
Villagers called for protection and maintenance of existing nullahs and identification of reserved and approved spaces of sub-divisions to be retained as open spaces only for use of surrounding areas.
“No high rise and high density buildings should be allowed in order to prevent pollution of the serenity of Taleigao,” Naik added. The villagers want land-locked areas to be identified with proper access to them and a hierarchy in zones for uniform development in the areas.