Team Herald
PANJIM: Despite two months of unsuccessful attempts to secure a location in the old Public Works Department (PWD) premises, the relocation of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) office remains uncertain.
A senior CCP official, speaking to O Heraldo, confirmed that no decision has been made regarding the shift of the office, following the rejection of two requests for space. The first was for the first floor of the Old Excise Department building, which was not approved. The corporation then sought a premises in the Public Works Department (PWD) building in Patto, but this request too was turned down.
“We are in urgent need of a new office space,” the official explained and further said, “If we don’t relocate soon, the construction of the new building will be delayed. It will take around five years to complete the new structure.”
The new CCP office is part of a Rs 75 crore project for which Chief Minister Pramod Sawant laid the foundation stone in October last year. He had promised that the project would be completed swiftly and would be inaugurated in the near future.
CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate previously stated that the first phase of the new building would be completed within a year and a half. However, this marks the second time the foundation stone has been laid for the project. The initial foundation stone was unveiled in November 2021.
When asked about the previous ceremony, Mayor Monserrate explained that the original design had included an administrative block within the open courtyard. He added that the original plan was deemed impractical, as it proposed a small block for administration that would not meet the corporation’s needs.
As it stands, the corporation’s office move remains stalled, with no immediate solution in sight.