MARGAO: The Shadow Council for Margao held a mock inauguration of the multi-level parking facility at Margao with kindergarten students doing the honours on Monday. Margao Municipal Council (MMC) Acting Chairperson Tito Cardoso asserted that the council is serious about the project and determined to start it as soon as possible.
Savio of the Shadow Council blamed the previous council and the then chairperson Arthur D’Silva for merely laying the foundation stone without preparing any ground work. Even the contractor, he claimed was not selected then.
“Arthur wasted municipal funds to have the inaugural function, which was done in a hurry as elections were nearing. That inauguration attracted a smaller crowd as compared to the crowd at present today at the mock inauguration,” he said, while recalling that the project has been gathering dust for the last four years.
The mock inauguration had two lower KG students, Leann Abranches and Emmanuela Barros D’Cruz cutting the ribbon of a mock multi-level parking building prepared of thermocol. “I hope the building will be ready when I grow up,” said Leann Abranches.
Savio said the cost of the project has also gone up over the passage of time and lamented that the facility, which is the need of the hour, has been treated so casually. He rubbished comparisons with the issues of the pay parking facility at Panjim and pointed out that in Margao, it is proposed in the heart of the town and thus there would be many takers.
“Panjim is a city that is spread out and nobody would park their vehicle at the parking lot and go to Campal. While in Margao, everything is around the proposed parking facility,” he said adding that the present council can get sanctions for tours within 24 hours but has been dragging its feet.
Meanwhile Tito, while reiterating the council’s commitment to completing the parking project, said it was only circumstances that went against the project and blamed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) for the inordinate delay.
“Manan Construction from Sangli were awarded the work for around Rs 6 crores but then GST was introduced and the contractor found it unviable and even though, the then minister Vijai had offered to help, he refused to take up the job,”
It is learnt that the contractor was complaining that he would have to pay around Rs 75 lakh as GST and Vijai had offered to compensate him for that amount but the deal did not go through.
Subsequently the work has been tendered four times but nobody has submitted any bids. “Now that the Goa Schedule of Rates has been revised there will be bidders hopefully. As we have re-estimated the work, which is now pegged at Rs. 7 crores, we will get some bids now,” said Tito.
While MMC proposes to construct this facility with the Rs. 3 crore it had received as golden jubilee grants along with the interest it has accrued, additional money will be transferred from other funds that have not been utilised as yet.
