PORVORIM: Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza said nominations for smart city for Panjim, Vasco and Margao have been sent to the Central government after finalization, of which only one city will be approved by the Union Ministry of Urban Development.
D’Souza said that permission will be asked to include areas of Ribandar and Taleigao in the smart city and only if the Union ministry grants permission the areas will be included in the smart city plan.
Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte had moved a private members’ resolution in the Assembly to include Porvorim in the ‘Smart City’ project and declare it a second capital and also give it urban status. The resolution has been voted out in the assembly.
D’Souza ruled out the possibility of including Porvorim in the smart city as it falls in a panchayat area and the population needed for smart city approval is at least one lakh.
Khaunte has been demanding urban status for Porvorim on grounds that the Assembly, Secretariat, educational institutes, government offices, hospitals, hospitality industry and corporate houses are based in Porvorim.
D’Souza said that the area in Porvorim, which comes under a panchayat, could either be made an urban panchayat or C class municipality to give it urban status to avail urban funds for development. The minister agreed that Porvorim is urbanized but there is no machinery to declare it an urban area.
Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai said that when the administration is settled in this area the government should look for the growth of that area.
Arguing further Khanute said that the government should stop shifting government offices to Porvorim if urban status cannot be given to the area.
BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh said that “technically Panjim cannot be the capital city, in any State secretariat and assembly are not in a panchayat area.”
Wagh said that the capital of the State should be decided first or include the assembly area in Panjim city jurisdiction.
Panjim MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar opposed declaring Porvorm as the second capital.
