DHIRAJ HARMALKAR
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
VASCO: Where is the beautified Vaddem lake, the pride of Vasco going? Into a deep state of neglect it appears. The recently beautified Vaddem lake seems to be in a neglected state for the past one year. Damaged gates at the sides and other cleanliness related issues have been cropping up recently.
Till recently, as recent as this week, the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GUSDA) beautified Vaddem lake did not have a specific body to look after its maintenance due to the unsettled issue pertaining to the claims over this lake. But on Thursday morning, the file related to the Vaddem late beautification, landed on the table of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Chairperson Nandadeep Raut, almost at the same time, when Herald was in contact with him. He said “MMC will be the owner of the lake and municipality will do maintenance of the beautified lake”
The Vaddem lake was beautified by GSUDA and was inaugurated in the presence of Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in August 2019. Till today, (before the MMC received the file) neither the MMC nor the Fabrica da Igreja de Vasco (St Andrew’s Church) was in possession of the lake.
When contacted, the Panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho, said, “Time and again, I have requested the Urban Development Minister Milind Naik to transfer it to the Confraria body which gave this lake to be beautified, they are also ready to undertake proper maintenance of the beautified lake. We may see the bad condition of the Municipal gardens and so I feel if this beautified lake is handed over to the Confraria body then it will be properly looked after.”
The Parish Priest of St Andrew’s Church Fr. Gabriel Coutinho, said that the issue of Vaddem lake is being politicized just for the sake of politicization. “Officially the lake should be handed over to the Church. We will take care of it, beautify it because the land area belongs to the Fabrica of the church. Municipality has no capacity to maintain it,” he said.
He further added that “The Church wrote to the Municipality few years back for the repair and beautification of Vaddem lake, so that public should benefit. Since the MMC was unable to do the work, they in turn handed over this repair and beautification work to GSUDA and then GSUDA completed the beautification work. Since the church is the owner the property, the lake should be handed over back to the Church. We are capable of maintaining it.
However, Urban Development Minister Milind Naik mentioned that the lake could be only handed over to a government body, which is the municipality. “GSUDA had beautified this lake and GSUDA builds any projects for the Municipality to generate revenue”, he said.
Naik further informed that former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar had told Minister Mauvin Godinho that the lake could be only be handed over to the MMC and not to any other private body.
Meanwhile, the Panchayat minister also revealed that he had also requested the Chief Minister to intervene in this matter and sort it out but that presently the issue is pending and the maintenance of the lake is not looked after by anyone.
Now that the MMC has decided to maintain the lake, Vascokars will be keenly watching to see if their lake is properly maintained and the beautification is maintained.
