7 years and three tenders later, the new fish market work order is likely to be issued today (Tuesday)
Three attempts spread across seven years have been made so that the people of Vasco can buy their fish in a modern, clean sanitized market. But the odour of delay and slackness has kept this at bay.
This fish market project has been thrice tendered since 2013 to 2018. When the first tender was floated, there was no response to the tender. Back then, this fish market project cost was around Rs 8 crore. It was tendered for the second third time. With GST and changes in the government scheduled rates, the cost escalated to Rs 9.5 crore.
Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) councillor Yatin Kamurlekar said that the structure will have two floors while the basement of this market will have a parking place for the visitors who will come to the fish market. The ground floor will have fish vendors and a special sitting arrangement with storage and display of fish will be kept.
Dry fish sellers will be placed on the first floor. And if space remains, chaat- street food vendors are likely to be accommodated.
Once the work order for this project is issued, the project details will be kept for public display. The complex will also have a fish storage facility, drinking water and toilet facility as well. Once the fish vendors have been shifted to the new market complex, they will be charged Sopo tax by the municipality.
“Currently, the file of this fish market project has gone to the Chairman of the GSUDA to issue the work order for this project. The work order is expected to be issued by Tuesday,” Kamurlekar added.
MMC to finally set its house in order, literally
It appears that the supposedly simple act of getting the work started to renovate this ancient Portuguese era building was relatively easy. Not quite. The repair and the renovation of the Portuguese-era Mormugao Municipality building structure has been taken up by the MMC; and which will be executed by Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA)
Of stuck files, rejected rates
Work for this project was first tendered before the GST was implemented. Once GST came into existence, work got stalled as rates had to be recalculated. Post that, work was then awarded to another contractor. But that didn’t kick-start the project either. When the file for this work afire, the contractor was identified and went to the government for approval, it sat there for close to a year
It was then the turn of the contractor in waiting to respond. And he did that by saying the year-old rates were not acceptable to him
14 Finance Commission to the rescue: MMC transfers Rs 23 cr to GSUDA
MMC transferred its 14th Finance Commission funds of Rs 23 crores to GSUDA and requested the concerned government authorities to re-estimate the project and to include the new GSR rates of 2019. The cost of this work previously as per tender was Rs 8.5 crore. Now at present, this work has gone up to Rs 11.5 crore, which will have renovation and repair work of the entire municipal building. The work will be tendered within a month’s time.
The renovation and repair work of municipal building will take almost a year and by November 2021 the work will be completed.
Scope of work
The entire building will be plastered internally and externally, tiling and painting work will be done, there will be a provision of an elevator in this building. There will also be a new arrangement of a Conference hall and there will be new doors and windows. The original structure won’t be touched/altered considering its heritage significance. Once the tender is done the file will go for administrative approval of the govt post, which work is likely to commence in about two months
More ‘power’ to the Port Town
The third project is of the Power House, which will come in Baina. It consists of a ground plus seven-floor building, which will be a commercial complex and a revenue generating project of the MMC.
The powerhouse project is estimated at Rs15 crore. This project’s ground floor will house the kiosks vendors. The first floor will have shops and business outlets. The second and third floors will have offices. Fourth, fifth and sixth floors will have one non-air-conditioned, one air-conditioned hall each and one floor will have a dining hall. The seventh floor will have a restaurant.
The project is awaiting a conversion, sanad and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Navy.
This project also awaits the Mormugao Planning Development Authority (MPDA) clearance. Once these things are done then, the file will go for administrative approval and technical sanction before being tendered.
An official source revealed that the powerhouse project in Baina will take some time as the land transfer and other processes will take almost six months time. The Power house project is expected to be completed by May 2022.
