THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: With a Rs 1,800 crore outlay of which Rs 600 crore was the amount planned between 2016 and 2021, that would mean a lot of money to make a city SMART.
As Panjim sinks, with life and infrastructure thrown out of gear, do these figures make any sense? It would make sense only to contractors who will get hundreds of crores (Rs 300 was supposed to be allotted in 2021 alone).
It has taken just two days of rain in Panjim for it to sink. But as it does, the stink of corruption is actually floating. Herald has simply put together questions and doubts raised in the past. Do we see the amounts supposed to be spent on improving Panjim? And are the priority projects like CCTV cameras and WIFI hotspots and bicycling tracks more important than looking at drainage and roads?
Corruption isn’t hidden in files, its seen on the road, say Ponjekars, politicians & RTI activists.
Smart City financials not filed for four years.
Prominent RTI crusader Saket Gokhale, based on RTI replies, said with hundreds of crores in the capital, it has not filed a single financial statement since 2017. “While accounts of NGOs are frozen, a govt-owned ‘Smart City’ company gets away not filing financials for 4 years. In Goa, a whopping Rs 717 cr have been embezzled by BJP”.
What have we got from the smart city? From its very inception, it has been a cesspool of corruption. Paved road with some footpath showcased as the ‘perfect pedestrian footpath’ This was constructed at a cost of Rs 8 crore. “We have the funds, we have the solutions, but nobody is interested in working for the people and solving these problems. We are too busy in politics, or too busy in corruption.” - Valmiki Naik, AAP
“Whether it is engineers or architects or contractors, the government seems to only want to recruit agencies and individuals from outside the state. I do not understand why that happens- perhaps the deep-rooted corruption of the system. There are plenty of capable, talented minds in Goa that can work together and design a truly smart city that does not get flooded." - Armando Gonsalves, Campal resident and founder of Goa For Giving.
“Rs 12 crore alone was spent on replacing tiles of a footbridge. A tender has been floated for Rs 20 crore for the refurbishing of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation- Goa Congress.
“There is hardly any trace of over Rs 500 cr spent in the city by IPSCDL. Hundreds of crores have been spent on CCTV installation in the city but no cameras are installed anywhere- Uday Madakaikar former Mayor
Is it a smart idea to have these under Smart City?
Smart cards, CCTVs and underground cabling of the electricity wires.
Why isn’t drainage a part of the Smart City priority
As Panjim sinks each monsoon shouldn’t drainage sewerage and waste management be a part of an integrated mission of SDMART city and CCP
Sweden’s SMART City Boss had told Herald the meaning of SMART city is “Sustainable Development and making things easier”.
Ostem Ekegren, Chairman of IVL, implementing Smart City in Sweden told Herald earlier Smart City means “Sustainable Development and making things easier”.
What he felt about the Panjim SMART City plans “Well he had discussed this in the meeting but we do not know. Frankly, we did not recommend this kind of infrastructure for a Smart City.”
What would have really been smart?
Improving quality, better mobility, social sustainability, urban planning, and more importantly waste management.
These are questions
Herald will keep asking and keeping a close watch on where the money is being spent. The sinking feeling is not just due to the rains.
