WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Citizen Stephen Dias Dona Paula
As usual I decided to have tea at Bhosle Cafe and looked around and found absolutely no parking available for scooters nearby, neither a walking path to go to Cafe Bhosle. Finally, on entering, a talk was going on inside the cafe within our friends about this mess. I heard someone saying jokingly we should name this cafe as “Smart Bhosle”.
What a mess at the entrance of cafe, with a number of JCBs and workers breaking and excavating the roads. The main intention of the contractor, who was an outsider, could not clearly tell me anything except the word sewage because all those who were with him were also non Goans and none of them could speak Konkani.
I called my friend Surendra Furtado, who was former mayor of the Corporation of The City of Panaji, if he has any internal information. He said all councillors are not been taken into confidence and better I should speak to the present Mayor.
All these expenditures I believe comes from the Central government and nothing will be from the local authority. Who knows whether the Prime Minister is aware of what exactly is going on, he must have been told the city is ahead to be a “Smart City”. Ideally, they should start with the existing dilapidated buildings for repairs or demolition nearby, and later on for upgradation.
Especially when our government is almost gone bankrupt why such duplication and complex projects where lots of money involvement is there? Panjim will never and ever be turned into a “Smart city”. Take it from me.
