PANJIM: Ending the ongoing administrative fight with the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) on Friday decided to pay the fine of Rs 48 lakh to the civic body to obtain the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for operation of its multi-level car parking facility near Santa Monica jetty.
CCP imposed the fine towards non-renewal of the construction licence by the tourism corporation.
Speaking to Herald after the board meeting, GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral said the Board has decided to pay the fine as it cannot delay opening the parking facility. “The tourism season has commenced. Huge traffic jams are reported near St Monica jetty as vehicles are parked by the roadside. The operation of multi-level parking will help in resolving the traffic problem,” he said. Cabral said the payment would be made on Monday.
Built on 13,556.45 sq metres, the parking facility has four floors including the terrace of the structure. In addition to the 550 cars parking facility inside the building, 33 cars can be accommodated in the open space outside the building.
The project had its soft launch on May 9, however, full-fledged operations had not commenced as CCP refused to grant NOC over GTDC’s failure to pay the dues. GTDC had asked CCP to waive off the pending dues.
When contacted, CCP Commissioner Deepak Dessai said the corporation has no issue in granting the NOC provided the payment is made.
