SHWETA KAMAT
shweta@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The BJP-led government’s Rs 160 crore passenger ropeway project from Panjim to Reis Magos, may hit a roadblock, (or in this case an air pocket) with Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) deciding to protest the government decision to lease out its property on rental basis for the project.
The government has decided that an area measuring 5,000 sq mtrs of land belonging to Tourism Department and situated behind the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs will be leased out to GTDC for 65 years based on the rent to be fixed by the Public Works Department (PWD). While the rent is yet to be worked, GTDC, which is the nodal implementing agency, claims it will have to shell out crores of rupees annually towards rent.
“I am going to write to the Chief Minister on the issue. How can Tourism Department lease out its property to GTDC? We are also working for tourism promotion. If we pay the rent over the next 65 years, we would turn into another financial mess like Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC),” GTDC Chairman Nilesh Cabral told Herald.
When contacted, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar refused to comment on the issue said that “the matter would be resolved at the departmental level”. “GTDC comes under me, if there is some issue I will handle it, I will sort it out as Minister. GTDC should approach me with their grievances and not the media,” Parulekar said.
GTDC is also unhappy over the government deciding to direct the bidder – Jammu and Kashmir-based Menus Adventures Pvt. Ltd – which will be undertaking the project on public private partnership (PPP) model to pay Rs 1.62 crore as Upfront Concession Fees, even as the State is not investing anything and the company will share 5 percent revenue with GTDC.
The GTDC Chairman said that he will protest the move, as the revenue share they will get out of the project, will have to spent on rent, thus earning the corporation no profit. “Then what is the point in going ahead with the project? We don’t want to be another KTC,” he said.
Cabral raised the fear that in future the Corporation may run into losses, wherein it will have to depend on the government for salary grants and other expenses.
GTDC will be also signing lease deeds with the Comunidade of Nerul for a period of 99 years for an area of 8000 sq mtrs situated in Reis Magos. “This is fine, it is not government property,” he explained.
The 1.24 km long ropeway would be monocable detachable gondala system with installed capacity of 800 persons per hour. It is going to be a major tourist attraction as well as major revenue earning for GTDC,” Cabral said.
