Planning authority reconstitutes taskforce for Downtown Mapusa

Panaji: The North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) has re-constituted the taskforce for preparing and implementing the town planning scheme for Downtown Mapusa. The seven-member committee will coordinate with stakeholders, property owners and tenants whose land is earmarked for the preparation of the scheme in the ODP of Mapusa 2021.
Envisioned in 2015 as the first-ever town planning exercise for Mapusa, 12 lakh sqm of land was to be developed in phase I while 6 lakh sqm was to be taken up in phase II.The Downtown Mapusa project was to have a market, parking facility, Ravindra Bhavan, a warehouse, an interstate bus stand, community hall and joggers’ park. The committee has to also prepare and implement the phase I of the town planning scheme at Downtown Mapusa.
The taskforce committee is supposed to act as a bridge between govt and property owners as well as tenants to ensure proper coordination. “The taskforce members shall have to make prudent efforts to build the confidence of the stakeholders with all the letters of willingness for the development of the town planning scheme and the job has to be accomplished within the period of six months as the target set by the chief minister,” said Vertika Dagur, NGPDA member secretary.
However, the authorities have dragged their feet in completing the exercise. Dagur said that the taskforce will have meetings with consultants at least twice in a month to speed up the design layout within the next six months. However Dagur has cautioned the task force from making any assurances or promises to property owners and tenants unless authorised by govt.
The committee members are former chairperson of Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), Ashish Shirodkar; agriculturalists Mahableshwar Gadekar and Nelson Carvalho; attorney of the Mapusa comunidade Shivanand Gawas; inspector of survey & land records, Patrick Gonsalves; architect Bryan Soares and member secretary of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority Shaikh Ali Ahmed.