PONDA: The development work of a ground and joggers park near Bandora Panchayat turned into a battle ground for supporters of PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and Govind Gavde on Wednesday, with residents of Bandora demanding the development of the ground.
Govind Gavde, who is considered as a political rival of Sudin Dhavlikar, claimed that the PWD was unnecessarily spending crores of rupees on the ground in the name of development and also on the joggers park and alleged corruption in the projects. Addressing a news conference at the same ground, Bandora Deputy Sarpanch Ramchandra Naik, Panch Rajesh Naik, Sukanand Kurpaskar, Kavlem Sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar, Bandora ZP member Poornima Naik and many supporters of the PWD minister said they have no playground and it is an urgent need to have a ground and supported the development work and joggers park on the ground.
Ramchandra Naik said the work on the ground is done legally by the PWD. “The NOC for development work has been sought from Bandora Comuninade and PWD will later hand over the ground to Bandora Panchayat,” said Naik.
While PWD minister’s supporters were addressing media, Govind Gavde reached the spot and later addressed a separate news conference, stating that he was not against the ground or development work, but was against demolition of the existing wall of the ground.
“Re-tendering and re-construction work of the ground by spending crores of rupees is burdening the government exchequer,” he stated.
Meanwhile, in Panjim, the Congress party has alleged that the PWD had floated a tender to repair a ground at Bandora even though it had not even been built. The initial tender for the work was scrapped after a complaint filed and subsequent ACB investigation, they alleged.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, party spokesman Durgadas Kamat alleged the government issued an e-tender for the repair of the ground, which was in fact never completed as the project was stalled following protest from the Bandora residents. He said that the party has begun scrutinizing PWD tenders of the past two years after it discovered alleged duplication of tendering into development of Kashimath ground at Bandora in Ponda.
“We are studying tenders of the last two years… there may be duplication like in the present case. The project was estimated at Rs 69 lakh approx but the tender was of Rs 1.48 crore in 2009 and it was also stalled after the residents protested at gram sabha against the development work,” he said.
After about five years, PWD released about six e-tenders on August 28, of which two are related to the repair works of the ground’s retaining wall – already built then – besides others, he added. “The tenders cost Rs 26 lakh…it is a big scam. There is duplication of tenders. There are no NOCs obtained from the village panchayat and the comunidade,” he alleged warning that PWD officers should not work under political pressure.
A complaint in this regard was filed with the ACB in 2010.
The government has also been accused of hill cutting next to the ground. Kamat has threatened to file a complaint with the collectorate, and with the Town and Country Planning department in this connection.
