Panaji/Margao: Resentment is once again brewing in Goa’s villages over govt’s move to classify 56 villages as urban areas. The opposition parties have taken up the cudgels and have warned that the decision would irreversibly destroy the state’s traditional village character and open the floodgates to real-estate-driven development.GPCC spokesperson Amit Palekar accused govt of pursuing the proposal with undue haste and without the informed consent of villagers, gram sabhas or local panchayats.“This is not a policy for development, it is a blueprint for uncontrolled real-estate expansion. Instead of protecting Goa’s villages, govt is converting them into commodities for builders and land sharks,” Palekar said.Along with the Congress, Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goans have said that Goa’s villages represent the state’s unique identity, heritage, culture and ecological balance, and that forcing urban status upon them would permanently alter their social fabric, threaten agricultural lands and accelerate concrete development.Accusing govt of trying to accord urban status to rural areas through a back-door process, Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai said that such a major policy decision should have been discussed in the state legislative assembly.“In 2020, this same proposal to designate urban areas was withdrawn because of opposition. What has changed since then? Has there been any carrying capacity, or has an expert committee given some recommendations? Why this urgency just before the elections?” said Sardesai.He said that urban status could lead to a higher FAR in the villages, which would lead to additional stress on infrastructure. “Such a big decision requires extensive public consultation and transparency,” Sardesai said.All three opposition parties have demanded that govt must immediately suspend the proposal and make public all reports, expert recommendations, and studies on which the decision is based.The opposition has also said that they would protest until govt withdraws the “anti-people measure”.RGP MLA Viresh Borkar went to meet the chief secretary to object to the revenue department’s proposal to designate rural areas as urban areas.“Goa’s villages are being urbanised rapidly for builders, and this is leading to a strain on roads, on water supply, and homes are being demolished for wider roads. They have moved to declare 56 villages as urban areas, and I am shocked by this because it is like another nail in the coffin,” said Borkar.
