PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday reviewed preparations for the BRICS summit which will be held in hotels of South Goa. “BRICS is a biggest challenge before Goa but we are looking to convert it into an opportunity,” he said.
Parsekar said that Goa was selected because of its uniqueness and not because there was any demand or proposal from the state to hold the event. “This has given us an opportunity to showcase Goa on the international platform,” he stated.
Parsekar said BRICS will provide the State a golden opportunity to showcase itself to the world positioning itself as a tourism destination. “We spend crores of rupees on hosting tourism road shows in the countries from where the tourists never arrive in Goa. By holding such events like BRICS we can do away with the unwanted expenditure incurred on the road shows,” the chief minister said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was down in Goa last weekend to oversee preparations for the upcoming summit. The Chinese minister had met the Chief Minister, State Governor Mridula Sinha and had visited a few spots during his visit.
The review meeting was attended by heads of departments from public works, panchayat, electricity and health. “Directions have been issued to PWD for widening, repair and maintenance of roads. Panchayats have been asked to remove all illegal and unauthorized hoardings along the road and ensure there is no stray animal menace,” he said adding that the Power department has been directed to ensure load backlog at the event venue.
He said in the event of any casualty, the State has identified five hospitals where special OPDs will function. Beds have also been booked in these hospitals as part of emergency preparations for the summit.
Parsekar said the government will request the Union Defence ministry to station an air ambulance in the State during the event.
The State will also request the Centre to provide additional forces to take care of security during the summit which will have heads of all BRICS countries participating, the chief minister said.
