Tourists from different states are thronging to Goa to beat the heat but traffic snarls are giving them a horrific time. Shortage of parking space and traffic congestion at the Santa Monica jetty is another issue that tourists and locals are facing in the state’s capital Panjim.
Due to the heavy rush of tourists and locals it almost takes double the time to cross the entire stretch of road from the jetty to the Kadamba bus stand.
When Herald spoke to citizens it was revealed that the only solution to the traffic chaos near Santa Monica jetty every evening will be the opening of the long-delayed multi-level car parking, but the project has missed inauguration deadline for last six to seven months.
It seems like rough weather has hit the inauguration of the project because of the administrative fight between the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and the City Corporation of Panaji (CCP). The tussle between the two has further delayed the much anticipated Rs 45 crore multi-level car parking facility near Santa Monica jetty.
“Once the multi-level car park is open, we can expect the area to be de-congested widely, but it should be thrown open before the Diwali festival, as most the tourists will be arriving in the state due the vacations,” said Arvind Naik, a resident of Panjim.
“If a vehicle is parked on the roadside even for minutes, a serpentine queue follows on the main road resulting in traffic choking,” said Nikhil Singh.
Speaking to Herald, CCP Commissioner Dipak Desai said the occupancy certificate is put on hold as the dues are not cleared and that is the main reason for the project to miss the inauguration deadline.
“Earlier GTDC had obtained the licence for construction but later failed to renew the licence every year. We have renewed the licence for now but they will have to pay the fees of Rs 48 lakhs after which the occupancy certificate will be issued,” said Desai.
“If GTDC clears the dues, it will take hardly 30 minutes for issuing the certificate and the project can be taken up for inauguration,” he added.
It was also revealed that the commissioner has proposed to the council to pass a resolution to reduce the fees from Rs 48 lakhs to Rs 30 lakhs. “I have given my suggestion, but now it is up to the council to decide and take the call. The council meeting is expected to take place on October 14,” Dessai said.
GTDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral said that CCP is unnecessarily harassing them over issuance of occupancy certificate, even after GTDC has made available all the required documents. “We have even managed to get provisional fire safety certificate from the directorate of Fire and Emergency. Also the project plan is been submitted to them,” Cabral said.
“The project has been delayed since its work was taken up two and half years back,” MLA said.
It was also revealed that earlier GTDC had asked CCP to waive off the pending dues which are owed to CCP as renewal fees, but such a major decision can only be taken by the CCP council.
Cabral said that being a government project, the corporation should be given some relaxation and until the payments are made, CCP can issue a NOC in-principle.
The project in Panjim had started about two and half years ago by project consultant and contractor Lotus Environments, Pune and M VenKata Rao Infra Projects Pvt Ltd respectively and had its soft launch on May 9.
Built on an area admeasuring 13,556.45 sq metres, the parking facility has four floors including the terrace of the structure where 87 cars can be parked at a time. In addition to the 550 cars parking facility inside the building, 33 cars can be accommodated in the open space outside the building.
The Construction licence for the project was issued during the former Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues’ tenure and he was in chair until earlier this year. Also the present Mayor Surendra Furtado was ruling the city council during that period.
The administrative hurdle has resulted into loss of revenue to both CCP and GTDC as well as depriving public or tourist of such modern facility, which is first of its kind in the State.
The construction of the car park fell behind scheduled due to fund crunch, and on more than two occasions the contractor stopped work due to non-payment of his due, and resumed work only after his bills were cleared.
