By Our Chief Reporter

Panaji (Goa) Six years after it was kept on hold due to protests, Goa government today decided to make alive Regional Plan 2021 permitting on case-to-case basis the development in the lands notified as settlement, commercial, institutional and industrial zones.

The decision was announced today by State Town and Country Planning minister Vijai Sardesai who said that the development in the land zoned under settlement or commercial or industrial or institutional zones as per the Regional Plan 2021 to be permitted s per its merit.

The Regional Plan 2021 which had hit the controversy during the Digambar kamat led government rule was kept on hold on June 04, 2012.

Sardesai said that the development in the zones should be permitted as per its merit and by following a proper procedure.

The order which was issued by Town and Country Planning department has prohibited the development in eco-sensitive areas like low lying paddy field, water body, khazan land, flood prone areas, land having slopes of more than 25 per cent inclination, forest land including private forest land.

The land falling in the buffer zone of wildlife sanctuaries cannot be developed without the prior permission of forest department and those in the Coastal Regulation Zone, even if they fall in settlement or developable zones.

“The government has been toying with the idea of rectification of the Regional Plan for Goa 2021 for quite some time. Permissions were being granted only for lands which are falling under settlement or developable zones due to which there was hardship to the people,” Sardesai said.

Due to confusion and anarchy, illegal developments and fragmentation of Orchard Lands and other agricultural lands were on the rise, the minister said justifying the decision to make RP 2021 live again.