There is merit in Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza’s advice that the government should first rectify Regional Plan 2021 before attempting to formulate a new one. D’Souza was in charge of the Town and Country Planning department in the previous regime and he had succeeded in rectifying plans for the talukas of Sattari, Pernem and Canacona. The pace at which the rectification took place was slow and if D’Souza had finished the job the question of making a new plan would not have arisen. Having said that, the moot point here is that no matter what the government decides to do first – land use policy or regional plan, RP-2021 will continue to remain in place until a new one is notified. At present permissions are being granted on the basis of RP-2021 and a notification issued when Manohar Parrikar was chief minister which stated that only land shown as settlement in RP-2001 and RP-2021 would be considered for issuing construction licences. Formulation of a new plan will take years and with Parrikar making land use policy as the first priority, RP-2030 has been pushed even further into the future. So, what D’Souza is saying makes sense because in the interim period between the two plans residents can avail of an updated plan instead of the notified one which was rejected on account of errors.
