VASCO: Sancoale Panchayat will soon become the first panchayat in Goa to have a multi-purpose cyclone shelter that would be used to provide temporary accommodation facilities to people affected during any sort of disaster. The dedicated shelter has been planned in the government school premises at Zuarinagar for which a fund of Rs 2.8 crore has been approved by the World Bank through the state government’s Water Resources Department.
The project is part of a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase-II, under which a multi-purpose cyclone shelter at Sancoale in Zuarinagar has been approved and work would kick start shortly.
“The primary focus of the project is disaster mitigation with an objective to minimize loss of lives and property in the vulnerable States. The investments proposed in the States would strengthen the coastal infrastructure for protection of the community and their evacuation, greater accessibility, improved warning dissemination and quicker response. The project is expected to benefit lakhs of people in Goa, as similar project would be taken up at other parts of state followed by Sancoale Panchayat” said WRD official Merwyn Caldeira.
He also said that an amount of Rs 5 lakhs would be put in fixed deposit in the name of Sancoale panchayat so that the interest amount can be used for the maintenance of the ground plus two structures that would have hall and dormitory facility besides kitchen etc.
Sancoale Sarpanch Ramakant Borkar informed that the project would not only help the villagers of Sancoale and other neighbouring villages but would also help people from other parts of Goa as the shelter would be offered to all during emergency/disaster situation. “We are proud that our village has been selected to have such facility which would be used for various purposes. Firstly, the shelter would be used to provide temporary accommodation to the people during any disaster and on other occasions instead of keeping of hall vacant we have decided to offer the hall facility at minimal fees to the people for community celebrations and the rent received would be used for maintenance purpose”.
Headmaster of Government school Zuarinagar, Anand Kudalkar said that the school had no facility to organise any functions and thus once the shelter is ready the school authorities would be using the building for events and would be also keeping a check on maintenance part from the funds generated through the building.
