Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government’s move to halt ongoing Smart City works executed by several agencies in capital city by March 15 in view of the G20 Summit scheduled in Goa in April this year, has drawn the ire of the citizens as they claim that it would prove to be a disaster for Panjim and would be a waste of public money.
The works will be stopped irrespective of whether they stand complete or not. The dug-up roads where works would remain incomplete will be restored and the work on the same patch will resume after the conclusion of the global event in April.
The citizens opined that the concerned authorities including the CCP should not halt the ongoing infrastructure works and should instead direct the agencies executing the works to complete the same before monsoon.
“We are facing inconvenience due to digging of roads, damaged pavements and traffic snarls in the city. Stopping the work at this juncture will be disastrous; if all the ongoing works are not completed before monsoon then we may witness the worst floods ever in Panjim,” Ramesh Patil, a city resident said.
Ritu Naik, another concerned citizen said that the government should drop the idea of halting the Smart City works in Panjim.
“All I can say is that better sense must prevail. Citizens are silent, that doesn’t mean the government can go on digging roads whenever they want,” Ritu Naik said.
Former CCP councillor Patricia Pinto said that neither the government at the Centre nor the State is concerned about Panjim or its citizens.
“The government is simply flogging the city whether its land or river via contracts doled out. Waste of money is putting it mildly. It is an outright robbery, the Centre could have held the G20 summit elsewhere, especially since Panjim is like a ‘war zone’ and the monsoon is fast approaching. Does the Centre consider Goa its picnic spot?” Pinto questioned.
Former mayor and current CCP Councillor Uday Madkaikar said that if the Smart City works are halted in mid-March then agencies will not be able to complete the work before the arrival of the monsoon.
“Government should first give preference to the safety of citizens and then events like the G20 summit. Drainage system has been destroyed while undertaking smart city works. Some of the areas in the city will submerge during monsoon if CCP fails to undertake the repair and restoration work of drainage on war footing,” Madkaikar said.
“Nearly 50 per cent of the roads in the city are dug up. Many works including the work of smart roads and sewage lines have been going on for over a year now. For how long people of Panjim will suffer,” Madkaikar quipped.
Expressing his inability to intervene in the matter, CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate said that halting the smart city works in Panjim is the decision of the State government.
“G20 Summit is a big and important event for Goa. Delegates of at least 50 countries will come down to Goa. Concrete roads are being constructed and if concrete is laid then side work of pavements can be done at a later stage. We are requesting the contractors to speed up the work,” Monserrate said.
“If the contractors meet the March 15 deadline then well and good, if not then they will have to make adjustments. We have given them firm instructions, and they are saying they will complete the road works in time. If they are not able to meet the deadline then they will have to stop the work, carpet it and restart later,” the Mayor added.
