PANAJI: Though the BJP poll manifesto promised a new regional plan (RP) and chief minister Manohar Parrikar even assured a participative approach, NGOs and activists are disappointed the process of finalizing it has been put on the backburner.

Pilerne Citizens Forum legal advisor Yatish Naik points out that the then governor K Sankaranarayanan in his speech at the inaugural session of the sixth legislative assembly on March 20, 2012, had assured that the government will denotify RP 2021 and draw up a new one with all stakeholders.

Four months later, Parrikar informed the monsoon assembly session that RP 2021 would be kept open from August to September 2012. “But the parameters were neither drawn up nor notified,” says Naik.

Activists have demanded that the state-level committee should be reconstituted by having wide representation of experts from various fields instead of just architects. The draft plan prepared by the task force should also be sent to all panchayats.

“It should be referred to gram sabhas and village-level committees should be taken into confidence. Suggestions and decisions to finalize the plan should be on merit and legality,” signs off Naik.