More areas lose rural character in Goa

Goa’s march towards urbanization continues with the Census Operations Department recently declaring 26 new villages as census towns. “Goa now has 70 towns, including 14 municipal (statutory) towns and 56 census towns,” a census department official said.

While enumeration for census 2011 has commenced now, the department recently completed an exercise to assess the balance of the state’s urban and rural frame for the 2011 census. The state had 30 census towns in the 2001 census.

Villages are declared as census towns if the population crosses 5,000. Two other key parameters include density of population and people’s occupations. “If the density of population is 400 per sq km and more than 75% of the male population is working in non-agricultural occupations, then it shows that the village has gained an urban character,” a census department source said.

Urbanization may mean more concretization and influx from rural areas, but citizens stand to benefit by way of more civic and sanitary facilities. “They may not benefit much directly, but better sanitary, recreational and other facilities are put in place for them. The poor in urban areas become eligible for central government schemes,” said an official.

After being declared a census town, the government may further consider the entity for upgradation as a statutory town, resulting in possible changes in land use and FAR. “Depending on the population, the town may be upgraded into a statutory town. The change in land use and floor area ratio depends on the local self-governing body and planning authorities,” officials said.Talukas showing a high rate of growth are Bardez with a maximum 13 census towns-Tivim, Anjuna and Salvador do Mundo added to ten existing ones.

Salcete ranks second with 12, seven declared earlier and five-Verna, Loutulim, Nuvem, Raia and Curtorim-added in the latest exercise. But as compared to only one municipal town of Mapusa in the northern taluka, Salcete has two municipal towns of Margao and Cuncolim.