Goan Regional Plan 2110

By Mr. Plastino D'Costa

The recent scrapping of the Regional Plan 2011 by the Government of Goa, might go a long way in having a positive impact on the society. However, some Goans are in self doubt if they have taken the right stand, therefore it is important to find out the actual reasons why Goans really objected to this Plan so strongly.

The positive impact on the society being that people have found a voice and the Government has acknowledged this, by reversing a decision and chose not to go against the people wishes. This is in keeping with the recent trends all over the world, that Governments are prepared to keep an open mind and reverse wrong decisions. Another positive impact on Goans is that for the first time Goans have realized, they don’t have to be in politics or depend on politicians to do good to the society. Many Goans will now realize that there are people outside of politics that care for Goa, and the recent movement that generated steam and brought most Goans on board has proved this.

What went wrong then? Why did a 5 year plan which took equal number of years to prepare did not go well with the average Goan. Surely there is some soul searching to be done. The Planning think-tank who were assigned this project have to now head back to the drawing boards and re-draft the plan again that is acceptable to Goans. Of course no plan can satisfy everybody, and Goans are already running a reputation as party spoilers to development, but to be fair on Goans, we need to think why we object to everything every time.

Political parties when in Government have a tendency to make short sighted plans for 5 years, maybe to make sure their plan does not outlive their term in office and also it does not benefit the other political party just in case they lost power. Even consultants sometimes when hired, try to replicate a plan which might have worked for a different state or a country without taking into consideration the local factors. Therefore no plan will work if you don’t think long term and if you don’t take into consideration the people aspirations, after all plans are not all about number crunching.

Goans today are waking up from their siesta and might not trust any plan, because over a short period of time, history has shown them that any planned development has not actually benefited Goans. Some might argue that Goans are not qualified enough or have an attitude to take menial jobs, if that is the case than we need to think of a plan where we first get people qualified, or change the attitude of the people and then talk of development. Today for an average Goan, an Institute of Technology and Science built on prime land means nothing, even if some miniscule Goans might have benefited, the fact remains that if our basic school systems is in shambles, how can we expect Goans to take benefit of an Institute of this caliber.

Same goes for the great hotels that have been built, at the most have only created entry level jobs for Goans, maybe brought taxes to the exchequer which in any case does not benefit the grass root Goan. The Konkan railway has still not lived upto expectations as a preferred mode of transportation. Goans still struggle to get reservations or still hope for an exclusive train for Goa to Bombay which runs at the promised speed, not to mention the slums it has created.

So how can we come up with a plan that will develop Goa, benefit Goans and at the same time maintain the ecology and thereby its identity. This makes for a strong case of a broader plan, a long term plan, a 100 year plan like the Japanese, a plan which prioritizes what comes first. Perhaps a Regional Plan 2110 for 103 years. A plan which focuses on basic education for the first 10 years, then plan for the higher education. We can’t plan and have an Institute of Technology and Science and forget to build the basic primary school.

If Retail is the next bit thing that will hit India, then maybe Goa is still not ready for it, because Goans still have to figure out how to dispose of the attractive packing material which will come with the merchandise. Till then we should be ready to live with the good old Mom & Pop stores. So any plan should first address the garbage disposal mechanism and then make way for these retail giants. Prioritizing and longevity of the plan will be the key in drafting an acceptable plan.

The fact that Goans are cynical of any short term plan is because they doubt the broader long term plan. Any plan which shows a short version and does not mention the long broad plan is going to be a hard sell to any government.

Meantime Goans also must realize that every objection and victory comes with some responsibility, Goans now having made their point collectively, that we want to protect the environment will have to walk the talk, by taking individual responsibility for what they do. For example burning energy by just loitering around to show off that fancy car or bike, has the same effect of cutting down a tree. Not using public transportation does put pressure by way of additional vehicles on the already bad road networks of Goa. We cannot contradict our collective stand individually. If the Government puts and entry tax on cars into some crowded areas of Goa, than opposing it will contradict the stand Goans have taken now. We have chosen to protect our environment and we need to stand by it on individual basis.

Government also has a responsibility, while drafting a plan we need all stake holders on board, from open minded professionals, politicians, bureaucrats, as well as people who are responsible citizens of Goa without any affiliations to political parties. A professional will be able to draft a better plan only when he gets inputs from local credible people. We should not underestimate our intelligent Goan people capabilities and the Government should bring them on board.

Finally our leaders should strive for a plan which is morally correct, any plan which is detrimental to the people that live in it cannot be morally correct and what is not morally correct cannot be good for GOA.

Above Article first appeared on Herald - Goa on February 15, 2007.