PANJIM: Whether Panjim gets selected or not in the first financial year 2015-16 for funding under the Smart City Development Mission, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) will ensure that there is no hindrance to the crucial city projects like solid waste management facility at Bainguinim, re-development of St Inez Creek and pay parking.
Panjim is competing with 97 cities to get itself selected in the first 20 cities to be funded under the Mission, the announcement of which would be made on January 26 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The long-pending projects ‑‑ the solid waste treatment plant (SWTP) at Bainguinim and redevelopment and beautification of St Inez creek, initially supposed to be funded under the Central Government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) ‑‑ are now been included in the Smart City Proposal. However, keeping itself at safer side, considering that the city proposal may not get selected in the first round, CCP, very smartly, included only part of these projects under the Smart Component- IT enabled Municipal Service delivery and Rejuvenation and Zero discharge of waste in Creeks by 2020.
“We are confident that Panjim will get selected in the first phase. We have drafted a strong and good city-based proposal,” CCP Mayor Shubam Chodankar said, adding “even if the City doesn’t get selected in the first year, our developmental works will continue through other schemes like AMRUT, Swach Bharat and State government funding.”
The Mayor said that Panjim is already identified for Smart City Mission development, and if not in the first year, the city will get selected in the second or third phase for funding. In the second and third phase, 40 cities each would be taken for funding.
The Bainguinim SWTP, estimated to cost Rs 140 crore, is a State government funded project. After failing to get it sanctioned under JNNURM, the State decided to fund the plant on its own. The plant, with a capacity of 100 tonnes per day, will treat the entire waste generated by the capital city. CCP is currently in the process of appointing an agency to undertake the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the plant.
As far as St Inez creek is concern, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), through the CSR funding, has already undertaken a project to aerate the highly-polluted creek.
“These are ongoing projects and will have no impact on whether the City gets selected or not. These projects have a small portion of it under the Smart Mission, which could be taken up at a later stage,” CCP Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues said that city will get funds under AMRUT and Swach Bharat scheme for undertaking developmental works. “State funding will also continue,” he added.
As far as other projects are concerned, as mentioned in the Smart City Proposal like making certain roads a pedestrian zones, cycling tracks, redevelopment of underdeveloped pockets for urban poor in Altinho, rejuvenation of Church Square, Mala area, etc, would be taken only after the Smart City proposal gets selected, the Commissioner said.
CCP has submitted Rs 981.11 crore Smart City Proposal for Panjim city, with a major thrust on ‘eco-mobility and public transport system and improvement of conservation zone’, to the Union Ministry for Urban Development. The Centre and State share would be Rs 304.22 crore, respectively. Another Rs 299.98 crore is expected to be funded through public private partnership (PPP).
