Team Herald
PANJIM: Monday’s special meeting of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) saw heated debate and argument, with opposition councillors strongly protesting the move to appoint Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) as the nodal agency for implementing the Smart City project in Panjim. The Council resolved to set up a Special Technical Cell at CCP, to be headed by the Commissioner, to execute the ambitious project.
The meeting began on a stormy note, with opposition benches, including former mayors Surendra Furtado and Yatin Parekh, corporators Kabir Makhija and Bento Loureno questioning Mayor Shubham Chodankar over bypassing the council and resolving to appoint GSIDC as the nodal agency for implementing the project. They claimed that it, being a city policy decision, has to go through the council.
“How can the mayor take the decision to appoint GSIDC as nodal agency? The powers are misused by the mayor. We want the letter granting permission to GSIDC to be withdrawn. The corporators are not against the Smart City,” Furtado said.
Supporting him, Parekh said that CCP needs to be given the opportunity to decide and execute the plans for the city. “The project needs to be executed through CCP and not GSIDC,” the opposition corporators resolved.
While the Mayor was not in favour of the resolution, stating that the Corporation does not have the technical expertise and it might face a deadlock just like the JNNURM projects; Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues accepted the proposal of setting up of Special Technical cell.
“However, at this stage, let GSIDC appoint the consultant to prepare the 20-page proposal on smart city plan, which has to be submitted to Union Ministry for Urban Development by December 15,” Rodrigues said. “Post selection in the first 20 list, let the projects be executed through the technical cell of CCP,” he added.
Rodrigues said Panjim is left with just 45 days in hand to submit the Smart City plan, to get itself selected in the first 20 list of cities for approval. “At this crucial stage, technical cell cannot be formed as it needs to have special technical manpower, infrastructure, money and different sections,” he explained. The cell will consist of architects, engineers, planners, NGO members and some like-minded people.
The formation of technical cell proposal was moved by Furtado, who recommended that it be headed by the commissioner.
The Smart City plan will incorporate all other city-based plans, including holistic master plan, sanitation plan, city developmental plan, etc.
CCP has called for special consultation programme on the Smart City project on October 14, wherein Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar, Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate, St Cruz MLA Atanasio Monserrate and other like-minded people will attend. It has also decided to go for online polls seeking public suggestions and views on the priorities for the city.
CCP has formed eight zones, comprising of corporators and locals to provide inputs.
