The Village Panchayat of Agonda welcomed the New Year with a 2-day workshop held on January 8th and 9th focusing on economic development, sustainable tourism, and planning and design guidelines. The workshop marked the renewal of the Panchayat’s and community’s commitment towards sustainable development, and sent a positive message by leading the way in participatory planning. This initiative could serve as a pilot model project to build and strengthen the capacities of other Panchayats to meet the objectives of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. The workshop was organised in partnership with the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), and facilitated with help of Goa College of Architecture of Panaji (GCA), and Pratt Institute of New York which is recognised for its environmental and community-based planning programs.
Undeterred by the recent notification of the Regional Plan which neglected the input provided by the Panchayat, the Sarpanch, Mrs. Milagrina Fernandes invited the workshop participants to determine the parameters for sustainable development.
Last year the community developed a Vision for Agonda and guiding principles for sustainable development which are summarised in a Framework Report available online at
www.sustainabledevelopmentworks.com. Substantiating those efforts, this year the focus was on identifying ways to protect Agonda’s tangible and intangible natural and built heritage, while simultaneously exploring economic development opportunities in appropriately diversified sectors besides tourism.
Students from GCA and Pratt Institute conducted interactive exercises to draw information from the participants and assisted with the development of recommendations. The economic development exercises focused on exploring employment opportunities in Agonda. The sustainable tourism exercises focused on capacity building through a stewardship programme relying on voluntary rules and responsibilities for all stakeholders. The Planning and Design Guidelines work group focused on land-use characterisation, green-infrastructure including traffic and pedestrian circulation, and solid-waste management policies and programme.
Getting good data and base maps continues to be a challenge and a barrier for the planning process. Panchayats require professional planning services to gather relevant information to allow for informed decision-making. Joint efforts by the students from GCA and Pratt Institute to conduct the field surveys and business and visitor interviews will help, however additional resources will be required for detailed surveys, base maps, and technical studies. To assist the efforts further 100 teachers-in-training from Nirmala Institute, Altinho were mobilised to conduct a door-to-door survey on ‘Economic Characteristics’ and ‘Residents Attitude towards Tourism. They received a resounding response from 70% of the households in Agonda, which demonstrated a strong support for transparency and informed citizen involvement. Results from the survey were shared at the workshop and are available to the public at the Panchayat and CSJP Office.
It was noted that there are many levels of engaging a community ranging from ‘simply informing the public’ to ‘empowering and collaborating with stakeholders as partners’. The former may be viewed as a form of ‘Tokenism’. ‘Participatory Planning’ strives for the latter. Outreach, adequate notice and review time are important components of the process. Towards that goal, the Panchayat organised two days of Ward-level meetings to explain the process and invite everyone to the workshop. The event was advertised in the local newspaper, and through fliers and public announcements in English and Konkani.
Besides listing problems and needs, notably the participants tackled the subject of Agonda’s identity and perceived image. There was a strong sentiment about maintaining the village character protecting its natural environment. Any sustainable tourism programme must position Agonda appropriately conveying a clear and consistent message in all media and marketing materials. Communicating expectations and cultivating stewardship promotes a healthy tourism experience for all involved including the residents, the tourism industry work force, and the visitors.
While communities do know what is best for them, they are likely to face several challenges in the planning process starting from bringing all stakeholders to the table. Unless everyone is included in the process, and particularly stakeholders with conflicting interests, it is difficult to come to an agreement on a unified plan. Starting with a “Vision” and shared common values that unite the community provide a basis for plan making. Panchayats need to build capacity to deal with the process which requires ongoing training programmes, dedicated planning staff, and advisory from a trusted Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) which includes social workers, lawyers, financing experts, grant writers, engineers, architects and planners. Eventually the Panchayat needs to be able to work together in partnership with the private and public sectors.
Planning is an ongoing process and communities need to gain confidence in their own abilities by continuing to build upon small successes. Therefore it is important to identify SMART goals that can be implemented.
At the workshop in Agonda, it was pointed out that decision makers need to be able to evaluate several alternatives and the associated environmental impacts before incorporating them within a Plan. The outcome must be monitored and evaluated against the original intent. Plans may be modified periodically to meet the stated intent and stay current with changing conditions.
Following the workshop, the Panchayat of Agonda will create a stakeholder’s working group and a TAC to implement some early action items. There would be valuable lessons learned from its successes, as well as challenges. Organised leadership and citizens, involvement will make the difference.
