MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council has directed the contractor engaged by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) to temporarily halt the works pertaining to the proposed parking project at Madel, Fatorda, resulting in frustration among the citizens. According to Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar, the civic body had not yet handed over possession of the land to the GSUDA, and the licenses taken from the authorities expired in 2019. As a result, the civic body has verbally told the contractor to stop the works.
Following the directive to temporarily halt works, a group of citizens of Fatorda expressed anger, claiming that it is a political game. Many are of the opinion that it is yet another faceoff between two political leaders of Margao and Fatorda. It is worth noting that the proposed parking project at Madel, next to the Old Market Circle, was supposed to be constructed to address the parking problem in the city of Margao, and hence, GSUDA was an implementing agency.
Recently, a contractor engaged by GSUDA was seen carrying out the works of fencing the area, upon which the civic body asked them to temporarily stop the work. Speaking to OHeraldo, Damodar Shirodkar said that a parking project would certainly come up at Madel, however, there were some issues with regard to the possession of the land. “The land belongs to the civic body, and we have not yet handed over possession to the implementing agency that is GSUDA. All the licenses, including by the civic body, expired in 2019,” he informed. He further said that the works pertaining to fencing were started without informing the civic body, despite knowing that the possession of the land is yet to be handed over to the GSUDA.
Chairperson Shirodkar has asked the concerned engineer of the GSUDA to submit detailed plans before initiating the works. “We are not against the project, but all the formalities need to be done so that there is no issue in later stages,” he said.
