Goa is unique in the Indian context, instead of Development Control Regulations being part of the city & village level comprehensive plans, the regulations are part of a disconnected document and it applies en-masse to all rural and urban areas. Policy experts including the former Chief Planner of India warned against such a provision, they cautioned that it could be used to grant back-door entry to projects without adequate consultation.
On 29th August the state government released a proposal to make sweeping amendments to said regulations, which threatened to erase the very essence of all plans in force in Goa.
In response to this, I made a video as an effort to explain some of the more critical amendments to the people of Goa. Watch it here
I drafted a letter that concerned citizens can download and submit as an objection to these amendments download it here.
For those interested in going deeper into the subject, I also authored a 15-page detailed response to all 16 of the proposed amendments which can be accessed here.
Update!
As of 26th September 2022, and after receiving almost 6,000 objections and representations, the Government of Goa has announced an outright repeal of the amendments.
