Team Herald
PANJIM: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP)’s pet project, the re-development of the municipal administration building has in-principle received the state government’s consent, albeit with proposed changes by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Parrikar along with former Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkalienkar and Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monseratte on Monday visited the CCP and saw the presentation by the team of Goa Chapter of Indian Institute of Architects.
Parrikar has asked the architects to make a comprehensive plan, which will include combining the two blocks, the current CCP building and the block which houses the primary health centre and the Directorate of Social Welfare, and convert the same into one comprehensive commercial block.
He has further suggested that the plans should incorporate the larger smart city plans, which have emphasised on decongesting the Church Square of vehicles and converting the area into pedestrian zone.
“The concept is very good. What I have told them is to expand the concept and include a walking zone, while keeping the heritage aspect to the buildings intact and they can take Amoro area also as part of the full development, so that the internal roads can be taken in and the outer roads can be expanded, plus walking zones can be made around the Church Square,” the chief minister said.
CCP Mayor Surendra Furtado said that the corporation would float the tenders for appointing the consultant for the project.
“This was just an initial plan and proposal. A proper plan for execution will have to be made and we will float a tender to appoint a consultant for the work”, he said.
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Bainguinim garbage plant by 2018
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured the CCP to setup the Bainguinim garbage treatment plant by the end of 2018, the tender for which would be floated by September this year. Responding to the demand to solve the garbage problem of the capital city, Parrikar said that the state government would take up the Bainguinim, as well as the site behind Heera petrol pump. “By September, the tender process will start for the plant at Bainguinim and Verna. Maybe by December 2018 the plant will start. The process will take one or two months and by December the projects should be ready. I am exploring the possibility of using a new technology wherein a special membrane can be used to automatically convert biodegradable waste into compost,” Parrikar said. We want to try initiate technology at the garbage treatment plant behind Heera petrol pump. It can handle around 5 tonnes of garbage per day. NEERI has been appointed to conduct the EIA and in another two months they will hold a public hearing, he added.
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‘IAS officer may help resolve market issue’
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has suggested to the CCP that the state government would appoint an IAS officer to resolve the issue of Panjim municipal market.
“To solve the market problem, I was thinking of appointing an IAS officer for a period of about a year and after settling all the issues hand it back to the CCP. You will find it almost impossible to resolve that issue. You think over it. This is not my final decision, but I think lot of revenue-generation should happen from the municipal market. But to do it there has to be a proper system of operation in place and old issues have to be sorted out,” he emphasised, adding that if one person was given the authority for a certain period it would be better or else that issue will not be sorted.
