Rane ‘open to ideas’, but ‘won’t budge’ on TCP plans

Times of India | 5 days ago | 22-09-2022 | 04:34 am

Panaji: Faced with strong criticism against the proposed changes to the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, town and country planning (TCP) minister Vishwajit Rane said that while he is open to “constructive ideas”, he will not deviate from his plan to bring in “new policies in the interest of Goa”.Rane said he remains firm about offering additional floor-area ratio (FAR) to hotels and resorts, including three-star resorts, and also stands by his decision to permit golf courses, farm houses and other tourism activities in green areas.“Provision for golf course and film city has already been made under Regional Plan 2021. Clarity is now brought by means of these regulations,” said Rane. “We are here to accept constructive ideas and positive suggestions. As a government, we are here to work towards the benefit of our people and the state.”Political parties, environmentalists, social activists, architects, urban planners and citizens have expressed concern about the proposed changes. Revolutionary Goans (RG), Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have condemned the changes, and RG has announced that it will hold a protest on Friday outside the TCP office to oppose the changes.Rane, in turn, said he has appointed professionals and industry stakeholders to the TCP body to ensure balanced development. He said projects which are not in the state’s interest will not be taken up.“Years back, a few NGOs took to the streets objecting to the entry of five-star hotels in the state. Today, with our main financial backbone, mining, being shut, these very hotels are keeping the finances of the state going through tourism,” Rane said.He said that tourism projects need to be encouraged and incentivised. “We have decided that the facility of additional FAR as applicable to four-star and five-star hotels shall also be extended to three-star hotels and resorts as they are scattered in urban and rural parts. This will facilitate additional accommodation in other parts of the state and will generate additional revenue,” Rane said.The minister said that the TCP department will accord equal focus and emphasis to prevent damage to the environment. The state has decided to engage the services of the Indian Green Building Council to monitor and ensure that mega projects adhere to green norms, water conservation and energy efficiency, he added.

Read more

Share:

Similar News

From October, Calangute p’yat to also collect garbage at night

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 27-09-2022 | 04:51 am

Times of India

3 hours ago | 27-09-2022 | 04:51 am

Calangute: The Calangute panchayat has decided to collect garbage at night from October. The decision comes following suggestions from tourism minister Rohan Khaunte and other stakeholders at the recent International Beach Clean-up Day last Saturday.During the clean-up drive, resort owners, staff and other stakeholders said that garbage is only being collected during the day. But, with a large number of tourists visiting the coastal village during the night, garbage gets littered on the beach and roads during this time, which then becomes a sore sight for their guests and tourists visiting or walking around during the early morning hours. Garbage clearing workers start work only at 8am. “The trucks will also collect garbage late evening and from 6.30am onwards so that the roads are clean early morning,” Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said. Stakeholders also pointed out that the workers simply sweep the garbage from the roads into the nearest drains. Sequeira assured them that the workers will be trained to make them more effective.

Soon, app to bring Goa tourism at the fingertips

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 27-09-2022 | 04:40 am

Times of India

3 hours ago | 27-09-2022 | 04:40 am

Panaji: While the tourism department’s website does have essential basic information for tourists, like places to visit and activities, the department is keenly aware that these details are insufficient for the present-day traveller, especially when everything is technology driven.An app that can guide a traveller across destinations in North and South Goa will be launched by November-December, tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said.“We have already started using technology to give tourists a better experience and we are in the process of introducing an app,” he said.The app will aid a traveller to access all information required to make his stay better and enjoyable. “A tourist will be able to download the app from the playstore. A wallet facility will be offered with a QR code, which he can use at various locations,” he said.GIS mapping of locations, he said, has started. The attempt is to see that every part or area is integrated into the facility.“Suppose a tourist is visiting Dudhsagar. All locations in that circuit will be geo-tagged. The tourist can make informed choices as he starts on a journey and sees more than one place in the circuit,” Khaunte said.A Dudhsagar-bound tourist can also visit the Tamdi Surla temple. Depending on the circuit chosen by the tourist, he will be able to see tourist spots in that area.Besidea, a call centre will promptly address any grievances or queries he or she may have.Travellers exploring Goa’s interiors have mostly gained their knowledge about locations other than coastal areas though social media, reels and YouTube videos. The number of tourists visiting waterfalls and other water bodies in the interiors have gone up and some even turn to adventures in their pursuits in total disregard to the dangers of venturing into inaccessible and remote areas.

‘Improve sambar population to raise tiger numbers’

Times of India | 23 hours ago | 26-09-2022 | 08:53 am

Times of India

23 hours ago | 26-09-2022 | 08:53 am

PANAJI: Goa should focus on conserving and improving the population of sambar deer in its protected areas to help tiger conservation in the state. Sambar is the ideal prey for tigers, as it provides sufficient supply of meat for days and will allow tigers to stay and breed in Goa, said A J T Johnsingh, Padma Shri awardee, conservationist, and former dean of the Wildlife Institute of India. While subsequent ministers have often said that there are no ‘resident’ tigers in Goa and these big cats keep shifting base to the forests across the border, Johnsingh said proactive measures are required to get tigers to breed inside Goa’s protected areas. “Barking deer, spotted deer may not contribute to tiger conservation and gaurs tend to attack tigers. Sambar, once hunted, can be consumed for days. First, a detailed survey of the sambar population is required in Goa. There are sambars, but some years ago as many as 20 were poached. Sambar conservation in Goa is tiger conservation,” Johnsingh told TOI. He said the argument that a tiger reserve is not needed in Goa does not stand because though the state has almost 700sqkm of protected area, these have many human settlements within. “At least 150sqkm of core area is required with no human population. Any existing settlements should be rehabilitated. Simultaneously, efforts should be made to improve sambar population in the entire 700 sq km. And Goa will see results in five years’ time. Having a tiger reserve will earn Goa funds from the Centre for support staff, a good field director and vehicles to improve its protected areas,” said Johnsingh, who has helped shape the Wildlife Institute of India over his two-decade-long stint there. An interim cattle compensation policy is also vital for tiger conservation, Johnsingh said. “In Corbett, in the buffer area, more than 10,000 cattle have been killed over the years. But there is not a single report of tiger poisoning. This is because if Rs 20,000 is provided as cattle compensation to locals, Rs 5,000 of it is provided immediately as interim relief. Some wealthy persons from Goa should come forward to help with funds for such immediate relief in the interest of tiger conservation,” he said. Goa also needs more courageous forest officials, Johnsingh said. “We need forest officials who have courage to tell ministers what exactly is needed for Goa,” he said. Johnsingh also said Goa is not suitable for tiger safari focused tourism because of its terrain and other factors. “In Goa, one should focus on nature tourism, like birdwatching, reptile watching, amphibian watching, rather than tiger tourism,” he explained.

GFP questions jetty policy, calls it backdoor entry for offshore casinos

Times of India | 1 day ago | 26-09-2022 | 04:47 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 26-09-2022 | 04:47 am

Panaji: GFP on Sunday questioned if locals stand to benefit from the tourism department’s jetty policy. Party president Vijai Sardesai also asked if the state government would share revenue with the village panchayats.While agreeing that river transportation could ease traffic congestion, Sardesai made it clear that he saw the jetty policy as a step towards the introduction of offshore casinos in other parts of Goa.“I feel some issues remain ambiguous,” he said. “Once a cruise terminal comes into existence, how long will it take for offshore casinos to mushroom in other rivers across Goa?”To back his suspicions, Sardesai asked the government if it has data on the number of Goans employed in the local cruise sector. He also pointed out that the government has not shown a preference for locals while issuing licences for cruise boats and jetty operations or for jobs created by the sector.Sardesai said his party welcomes the importance being given to river transportation, which is in line with eminent architect Charles Correa’s vision. He said that if the state government is serious about water transportation and cruise tourism, it should promote Mormugao Port as a cruise ship terminal instead of a coal terminal.

Trinamool Spent Rs 47 Crore For Goa Polls, BJP Rs 17 Crore: Election Body

Ndtv | 1 day ago | 25-09-2022 | 11:19 am

Ndtv

1 day ago | 25-09-2022 | 11:19 am

Eyeing expansion, the Trinamool Congress had actively campaigned for the assembly elections in Goa.New Delhi: The Goa assembly elections were keenly fought with the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party throwing their hats in the ring but when it came to poll expenditure, it was the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress that loosened its purse strings spending a whopping Rs 47.54 crore.The BJP, which retained power in Goa with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the helm, spent over Rs 17.75 crore towards election expenditure in the state.The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP spent nearly Rs 3.5 crore in Goa, where it tried its luck for the second consecutive assembly elections.The details of the election expenditure were submitted by the respective political parties to the Election Commission recently.The Congress, which was hoping to dislodge the BJP from power in Goa, spent approximately Rs 12 crore on the Goa elections.The Nationalist Congress Party gave Rs 25 lakh each to the 11 candidates it had fielded for the elections, besides spending on the campaign from the party's central fund.The Shiv Sena, which fielded 10 candidates in the Goa elections, spent nearly Rs 92 lakh towards poll expenditure. Eyeing expansion, the Trinamool Congress had launched an election blitzkrieg in Goa with poll strategist Prashant Kishor playing a key role in trying to get the party a toehold in the state.The party fielded 23 candidates in the Goa assembly election but none of them won, while its ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party put up candidates in 13 seats and managed to win two.The AAP fielded 39 candidates and managed to open its account in the state by winning two seats.The Congress had cried foul at the entry of Trinamool Congress and the AAP in the electoral fray in Goa, accusing them of dividing the anti-BJP vote.The BJP won 20 seats in the 40-member assembly and formed the government with the support of two MGP MLAs and three Independent legislators.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comEarlier this month, eight of the 11 Congress MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo and former chief minister Digambar Kamat, defected to the BJP.(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

More News

Latest News