Furious over the recent amendments to the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, the AAP Benaulim MLA Capt Venzy Viegas and Velim MLA Engr. Cruz Silva along with AAP leaders Alina Saldanha, Valmiki Naik and Adv Surel Tilve, joined the people’s protest against the TCP amendments today at the TCP office in Patto.
The AAP MLAs called the proposed TCP amendments destructive and demanded that they be scrapped.
AAP Benaulim MLA Capt Venzy Viegas said, “In this case, we do not want to engage in negotiations. The purpose of this amendment is to loot Goa. There is no need for the golf course to increase business. Khazan and agricultural lands are not for development. There are so many hotels and existing businesses in Goa that need to be developed”.
AAP Velim MLA Engineer Cruz Silva said, “In many parts of Goa, inhabitants lack access to regular water supplies. When it came to building good roads, the Goa government repeatedly fell short. Crime rates have increased. Rather than work on such issues, the government wants to bring major projects under the banner of development”.
AAP leader Alina Saldanha said, The state’s carrying capacity should be considered by the government before implementing such harmful projects in a small state like Goa. Since the last three to four years, the BJP government has introduced significant projects under the guise of development that will devastate Goa’s ecology. Since the government serves the people, it must act in accordance with what the people want”.
AAP leaders also met the TCP officials and submitted their written demand to scrap the destructive amendments in toto.
Later in the day, Capt Venzy contacted the TCP minister Vishwajit Rane and informed him of the vociferous opposition by the people and demanded to withdraw the amendments. The AAP MLA cited the risks that the amendments posed to the eco-sensitive land of Goa, and prevailed upon the minister to hold the amendments in abeyance.
