Panaji: Residents of Candolim village objected to the Calangute-Candolim outline development plan (ODP) and said that the haphazard process followed by the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) had resulted in no-development zones and mangroves being shown as paddy fields and orchard land.
The villagers demanded that the ODP should be reviewed and redrafted before notification to ensure that illegal land conversion does not take place.
“The people were promised that their illegally constructed garages or guesthouses would be legalized, but along with that, orchard land, hill slopes and No Development Zone land is being illegally converted and developed,” a resident of Candolim Sachin Kurtikar said while addressing reporters at a city-based hotel.
Displaying a Candolim-Calangute ODP, the villagers said that a 25-meter wide road was being built in paddy fields and in area where there were mangroves. The residents tried to object about the mistakes in the ODP at the special gram sabha held on Sunday, but said the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch thwarted their attempts.
“The NGPDA has prepared the ODP only for certain illegal gains. This ODP must be reworked,” Kurtikar said.
The villagers said that no proper study had been done while preparing the ODP and that the ODP had been drafted arbitrarily. “No study has been conducted by a reputed organization on traffic, population growth or carrying capacity,” Kurtikar said.
He added that the villagers were not against development or the ODP, but they wanted it to be prepared in a structured manner.
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