NCP: Goa Congress cozying up to real estate lobby

Panaji - The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Thursday accused its ruling alliance partner, the Congress, of selling out to the real estate lobby while preparing a futuristic land-use document Regional Plan 2021.

In the party's election manifesto for the March 3 assembly polls, NCP state president Surendra Sirsat accused the government of concretising Goa and promised to scrap the controversial land-use plan.

"The present draft of the RP 2021 will mainly concretise Goa. That is a builder-oriented plan at the cost of agricultural land, hill cutting, rehabilitation of people, water bodies and agricultural land," Sirsat said.

Defending the portfolios held by the two ministers of his party in the coalition government -- mainly tourism, revenue and civil supplies, Sirsat said RP 2021, a brainchild of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, would change the very identity of Goa in a bad way.

"NCP is committed to formulate a new regional plan after due deliberation and consultation," Sirsat said.

The RP-2021, along with family raj and medium of instruction are major issues which are taking centre stage in the forthcoming assembly polls.

While the Congress has promised to make popular amendments to the regional plan, the BJP has also advocated scrapping of the plan, which civil society groups have accused of pandering to real estate lobbies which were being backed by cabinet ministers in the coalition government.