PANAJI: High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday restrained the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) from discussing the issue of revised Outline Development Plan (ODP) slated on Friday.
The court was hearing a petition filed by NGO ‘United Goan Foundation’ challenging the finalisation of the ODPs for Margao and Ponda in their present form. The SGPDA meeting was scheduled on Friday.
The High Court observed that since this is a case where at least prima facie, there was no consultation between the SGPDA and MMC at the stage of preparation of the revised draft development plan or in any case the so-called material placed on record in the form of letter dated December 9, 2015 and minutes dated March 28, 2016 can hardly constitute evidence of any meaningful or effective consultation, there is no point in permitting the SGPDA to proceed any further on this issue.
It may be noted that the petitioner’s counsel had argued that the SGPDA is trying to pass the two ODPs in a tearing hurry in order to beat the declaration of the model code of conduct for the upcoming polls. Margao and Ponda municipalities supported this plea and stated that the SGPDA had failed to consult them as required by the procedure, however the state opposed this plea while insisting that objections received from the public and other concerned authorities have been incorporated and hence, separate consultation with municipalities was not required.
It may also be noted that the Goa Lokayukta Justice P K Misra had directed that notices be issued to the SGPDA chairman Mauvin Godinho and member secretary K Ashok Kumar. Justice Misra had issued notices after hearing a complaint filed by advocate Aires Rodrigues and Margao-based activist Jose Maria Miranda alleging corruption by the SGPDA in trying to illegally hurriedly approve the ODP for Margao and Ponda.