India News | Govt Drops Proposal to Bring Old Goa Under Planning Authority

Panaji, Dec 1 (PTI) Facing stiff protests from churches and the Opposition, the BJP government in Goa on Tuesday scrapped a proposal seeking inclusion of Old Goa panchayat area into the Greater Panaji Planning and Development Authority (GPPDA).

Issuing a statement, Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar said he had also taken into consideration the sentiments expressed by some religious bodies to drop the proposal.

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Churches and opposition parties had raised objection to proposed inclusion of Old Goa area into the GPPDA fearing such move will clear the way for highrise buildings to come up in the area dotted with several churches notified as UNESCO heritage sites.

"The Town and Country Planning department has studied in detail the proposal sent by Old Goa village panchayat to include some areas under it in the GPPDA. I have also taken into consideration the sentiments expressed by religious bodies," the minister stated.

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"I have discussed the issue with chief minister Pramod Sawant. In order to maintain the sanctity of shrines, (we) came to the conclusion that the proposal of further extending the Kadamba planning area need to be scrapped. The proposal seeking inclusion of more area under the GPPDA stands dropped," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)