MARCEL, JUNE 17
Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Chairperson Pradip Naik on Thursday assured members of Jardin Bachao Samiti that the council will not go ahead with the demolition of old municipal garden.
It may be recalled that the council during its meeting had passed a resolution to build a multi-storeyed building with a terrace garden in place of the old municipal garden. However, the idea was opposed by Jardin Bachao Samiti.
With rising opposition, the council later decided not to go ahead with the project and passed a resolution in this regard.
The issue of old municipal garden demolition has once again came to fore, after Jardin Bachao Samiti members learnt that there were attempts to revise the plan to demolish the old municipal garden to give way for a multi-storeyed building with a terrace garden.
The Jardin Bachao Samiti members met PMC Chairperson Pradip Naik and Chief Officer, Jayant Tari on Thursday demanding not to demolish the old municipal garden.
“We have been assured by the chairperson that as long he is in the chair, he will not allow such a project. However, the chairperson said during a visit to Delhi, they have seen a terrace garden and they were very much impressed by it,” said Jardin Bachao Samiti, President Mario Coelho.
“The chairperson’s statements are contradictory and we don’t know whether to believe him or not,” added Coelho.
“We were also told that the file of the old municipal garden project has been forwarded to the PDA for change of zone from green to commercial. Chief Officer Jayant Tari has asked us also to approach the PDA requesting them not to convert the green zone to commercial. We are determined to oppose demolition of old municipal garden,” he said.
When contacted, PMC Chairperson Pradip Naik said: “There is no question of council going ahead with the idea as the council has already passed a resolution against the project.”
“We won’t go ahead with the project and I have assured the members that in no way the old municipal garden will be demolished. They are being misguided by some vested interest to create unnecessary issue,” added the chairperson.
