Regional Plan to Disempower People-I

by NANDKUMAR KAMAT
Posted on 2008-12-29
OUR mission for the small state of Goa should be simple - to boost individual and collective creativity in every sphere of life democratically, conserve our natural and material assets for posterity, promote wealth generation sustainably aimed at equity and equality, with the final goal being a society with spiritually happy, well informed, secure citizens enjoying excellent quality of life.
The Regional plan 2021 (RP-2021) for Goa is an expensive and wasteful academic exercise to the contrary. The government is buying some time by keeping the people busy in their technical homework. Hopefully this would boost some geographical and cartographical knowledge.
Politically it is a sensible decision because Goans are now addicted to chew on such issues endlessly without ever identifying the basic high priority public policy areas, supporting complementary laws (for example natural resources management policy, state land use policy, state housing policy, policy on sustainable urbanisation, policy on rehabilitation of people ousted from their habitats and livelihoods, policy on cultural heritage) and fundamental strategic flaws-like whether any exercise like RP-2021 after its’ logical conclusion would really arm them with more powers at the grass roots level or deprive them of even existing powers?
I am watching all the tamasha that’s going on in the name of RP-2021, especially after my nightmares came true on reading the document kindly sent by GCCI. Was the ex-chief town planner late R N Ray wrong, when he proclaimed officially in 1997-8, “We don’t need a Regional Plan but a Perspective Plan, that too after passing the new, revised GOA Town and Country Planning Act based on model urban and regional planning and Development Law (revised) prepared by central Ministry of Urban affairs and employment.”
Late Ray got the model act printed in Government printing press, circulated and debated it in October 1998. The new act was supposed to be introduced in the Goa legislative assembly in the winter or the ensuing budget session, 1999. The act had 14 chapters, 189 clauses, 84 pages.  Chapter III was not applicable to Goa as it referred to metropolitan areas. The rest of the act was a model piece of pro-people legislation.
All those who’re now rushing with RP-2021 need to give an explanation to the people of Goa regarding the preamble of the act. What it said was very clear, honest, sincere and transparent. The preamble said-“An act to provide for the promotion of development and regulation of growth of urban and rural areas in the state as consequence of constitution (73rd and 74th Amendment Act, 1992)  and for the purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.” RP-2021 is a total negation of this preamble. It is basically a political statement which indirectly acknowledges the bitter reality that the political class in Goa supported by vested professional interests is afraid to repeal the outdated TCP act, 1974 and meaningfully devolve the powers to the local authorities as envisaged in 1998 act. 
Why the new act wasn’t introduced in the assembly since 1998?  The politicians felt that their power and influence would be diluted if the spatial planning and developmental micro-planning powers were to be devolved to the local authorities. RP-2021 offers a few lollipops by assuring to amend the existing TCP act, 1974 but this is absolutely inconsistent with the 1998 model act.
After the national capital New Delhi, Goa would probably be the only state in India to think of a regional plan. There are states larger than Goa with detail documentation of history of their revenue lands. Why did they not go for a regional plan? Many of these states (Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka) are still sorting out policy issues taking into consideration their duties under the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments. A specific example of good governance is Kerala state land use board (KSLUB) A specific example of  bad governance is winding up of Goa state land use board (GSLUB) and Goa state land resources management committee (GSLRMC)-and the stance of the state government, the task force and the NGOs as if these important bodies were never formed and never existed.
At the very outset let me sum up my considered and uncompromising stand on the RP-2021 and then focus on concrete examples of bad governance jeopardising sustainable planning and management of natural, cultural and human resources of Goa.
RP-2021 has unnecessarily entered a planning territory for which it has no mandate. Every government department and agency in Goa has a five-year plan and annual plans. For all sectoral planning issues, there is mandated state planning board and neither the task force nor the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) can dictate terms to it. If you’re familiar with Goa’s 40 years old land revenue code, the revenue department has the final word on all revenue lands. The forest department armed with several central acts is constitutionally empowered to protect, manage and control all the forest areas. The water resources department armed with state water policy, Irrigation Act, Command Area Act, Groundwater Regulation Act, controls all freshwater resources, irrigation sources and command areas. The agriculture department is duty-bound under national land use policy, agriculture policy, the Tenancy Act (see 8th amendment) and armed with Soil survey and Soil atlas (1995) has full mandate to plan and manage all arable lands. The Captain of Ports controls all navigable waterways and ports and has its’ own powers and annual plans. The coastal zone management authority (CZMA) controls almost the entire coastal, estuarine and mangrove areas. All the industrial estates, the State pollution control board, Goa state biodiversity board cannot take orders from task force or TCPD. So who really needs the RP-2021? It is the government which needs RP-2021 to further centralise the spatial planning powers, justify continuation of the outdated Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 and rationalise the existence of the notorious nurseries of corruption-the PDAs. The next article would expose the tragedy of Goa state land use board without which land use planning is a hollow exercise. The success of Kerala state land use board would also be highlighted to offer a comparative picture and also warn the people about fallacies of RP-2021. (to be continued).