KARSTEN MIRANDA
karsten@herald-goa.com
South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) Chairman Mauvin Godinho has revealed his master plan for the SGPDA retail market and also the wholesale market.
SGPDA has presently completed Phase 1 of the works which have been pending for years together. The SGPDA Chairman blamed PWD Minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar of purposely delaying providing drinking and tap water to the vendors at the SGPDA market. In a bid to gather necessary planning ideas, SGPDA has paired up with CREDAI, Clean Goa Green Goa and other NGOs and has gone to Phase 2 of the works at the market.The SGPDA Chairman pointed out that Phase 1 of works at the SGPDA market have been completed and this includes cleaning, beautification of meat, fish, and vegetable market, parking area and regularisation of traffic flow and drinking water facilities by providing water dispensers.Godinho has claimed that his initial promise of giving water connections immediately couldn’t be fulfilled as quickly as Dhavalilkar was blocking the works through the PWD.
Spending over Rs 1.28 crore SGPDA will also paint the market complex. The Authority is looking for a permanent solution to the dispute between the wholesale and retail market vendors and has decided to build a compound wall spending Rs 8 lakh and cordon off the wholesale fish market. “We won’t hesitate to take the strictest action against the persons who indulge in retail trade at the wholesale market,” Godinho said.Another ambitious project of a biogas plant has begun and SGPDA is now supplying cooking gas to two hotels nearby. SGPDA will set up another such plant aiming at using the generated garbage at site and not sending it to Sonsodo. “I assure that all the works which are now announced and are pending will be completed by March 2016,” Godinho claimed.In Phase 2, SGPDA plans to install CCTV cameras, post security guards, undertake beautification in front of Osia Commercial Complex and asphalt and lay pavers in the parking area.In Phase 3, SGPDA plans a zero waste market and generation of electricity from bio gas plants.
They will also start internal cleaning and taking over unoccupied stalls from allottees from SGPDA market. Thermoplastic paint marking of roads of parking and pick up parking for general public is also planned.
