By Our Chief Reporter

Panaji (Goa) Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai, who is currently facing wrath over the issue of constitution of a state-run planning body, has said that the agitation was aimed at “destablising the State government.”

Various village bodies supported by Goa Church’s wing Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) have begun public meetings across the State demanding that the Planning and Development Authorities (PDAs), the bodies under Town and Country Planning department, be scrapped.

They have also demanded to abolish entire Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 claiming that the rights of developments of the villages should be vested with the Gram Sabhas.

“The entire movement demanding scrapping of the Act is to destabilize the State government, that is what I feel at this stage,” Sardesai said. He stated that he was ready for discussion with “anyone and everyone” on the issue. 

“The demand to abolish the TCP Act indirectly means disbanding the entire department. So, if the demand is for disbanding my portfolio itself, then I have no powers to decide. That is why any engagement with such elements preaching anarchy becomes impossible,” the minister said. 

Sardesai represents Goa Forward Party, which is one of the important coalition partner in BJP-led State government.

“Today they are talking of doing away with TCP, tomorrow they will come up with the idea that entire government should be run by Gram Sabhas,” he said.

Sardesai said that the magnitude of demands of agitators have surpassed his domain. “They are not only talking about removing areas from PDAs  but also about scrapping the TCP Act and the department,” he said.

The minister said that the State government is ready to bring in more transparency in the TCP act. “The state government has been amending the act to bring transparency in it. We have recently introduced an amendment which makes it mandatory to have No Objection Certificate from the department while selling the plot,” he said.