SHOAIB SHAIKH
Despite being allocated around Rs 80 crores during the last five years by the state government, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has not been successful in getting development works carried out for the capital city.
CCP Mayor Surendra Furtado said the state government has allocated funds in the past but has not acknowledged the corporation while carrying out the development of the capital city.
“The government had earlier allocated more funds to the CCP but all the works were carried out by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC)”, he stated.
Furtado informed that for the financial year 2016-17, the government, under Laxmikant Parsekar, had allocated only Rs 20 crores, while, his predecessors were allocated more.
For the year 2013-14, state government had allocated Rs 30 crores to the CCP to carry out development works in areas under its jurisdiction. However, the allocation remained unutilised.
In 2012, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar allocated Rs 50 crores for the CCP during the annual budget 2012-13. However, most of the works during this term were carried out by the GSIDC.
Vaidehi Naik, who was then the Mayor, said that due to leakages in the accounts, most of the works were then handled by the GSIDC. “To allege that there were no works done during my tenure as a Mayor is wrong. We did not take up works directly under the CCP but whatever works, like cross drainages, were laid by the GSIDC.”
She alleged that the CCP has been under the clouds of corruption charges which hamper the developmental work of the capital city.
During the budget speech this year, Chief Minister announced Rs five crores allocation for the CCP, which is one-tenth of the budget allocation of 2012.
Criticising the government for slashing the funds to the capital city, Furtado said “This government is not bothered about the capital city. While Rs 5 crores have been allocated, Rs 2.8 crores have already been deducted for land acquisition for Hindu crematorium and the remaining Rs 2.2 crores are being absolved for works of 2015.”
The corporation has now resolved to recall the project proposals sent for government approvals and sanctions and tender the same projects from the CCP funds.
On the other hand, in February this year, the Mayor in a letter to the Director of Municipal Administration had requested to take up matters pertaining to proposals sent to the DMA as early as August 2016.
In the same letter, the Mayor has informed the DMA that proposals worth more than Rs 22 crores have been pending approval and sanction. These include release of salary grants requested in 2014 to the tune of about Rs 10.65 crores, development and procurement proposals sent in October 2016 to the tune of Rs 2.73 crores, development works in various wards of about Rs 5.04 crores and the latest to the addition was the proposal by the CCP to the government to fund payment of electricity and water dues of Panjim Municipal Market to the tune of Rs 3.78 crores.
Earlier this month, Surendra Furtado, in a letter to the new Chief Minister, requested to approve all the proposals and sanction the money to carry out the works.
