PANJIM: The contractors undertaking various Smart City works in the capital city have been given different deadlines for completion of their works before May 31 this year.
After holding a meeting with Chief Secretary P K Goel, Panjim MLA and Minister for Revenue Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate said that different contractors are undertaking different works in the city.
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“The contractors have been given different deadlines for completion of their work. Once sewage lines are laid, road works will be taken up,” Monserrate told mediapersons after attending a meeting of different agencies and contractors.
He further said, “We are working on the deadline of May 31, 2024.” However, to a question, the Minister said, “Let’s pray that it does not rain before June so that Smart City works can be completed within the deadline.”
The minister said after the work will be completed and it is the consultant who will check if the work is substandard or not.
No permission to tar ‘Smart City’ road: Contractor
PANJIM: Shop owners around the municipal garden are aghast at the contractor telling them that he cannot tar the road at this stage till he receives orders from the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL).
Speaking to O Heraldo, the shopkeepers shared their pain caused by the loss of business due the pathetic road in front of their shops. The road, specially the Roque D’Souza Road, was dug for the Smart City work in the first week of October and was supposed to be completed within 45 days but thanks to the slow pace of work, even now there is no idea when it will be completed.
When a delegation of the shopkeepers went to meet the IPSCDL officials, they had to return dejected.
Sharing the problems faced by them, Vinay Raikar said, “We had gone to meet the officials but could not as the officials were not present there. They finished the work in the month of December itself but after that they stopped. They come once a week and they go. Recently when we asked a supervisor, he said we had done the work but they are not tarring as they do not have permission from the Smart City office.”
According to Raikar, the road work has affected the business very much as the road is accessible from just one side
“We lost all the business on Dussehra, Diwali, Christmas and New Year. We have lost almost 80 per cent of our business. The main season of the year is gone. There is only one exit of the road which we know customers are not aware of. Literally nobody is bothered to check the progress of the road. When it comes to collection of taxes the government is strict but we are suffering,” he said.
Cornellio Fernandes, another shopkeeper said, “The last work which was done was in the first week of January. Then they left. When we spoke to the contractor, the contractor said that they are not getting permission to tar the road, although they are ready to complete the road.”
A staff from a bakery shop said, “We have been badly affected. We have many senior citizens as customers and they are complaining about accessibility. We have not been asked to give any feedback. There is a lot of dust flying around in the area which has affected all the shops. Everyday we have to clean the counters and tables. Anyway they are clean but layer of dust is thick which is affecting us healthwise and also becoming a deterrent for the customers.”
“The work is 80 per cent done but after that it has been paused. There is no work for the last one month. We thought that it will be complete in December and we will be able to do some business in January but that too has gone,” he said.
Nathan, having an optician shop, said, “You can see dust flying around. We are eating dust. We are fed up now. Every part of the city is like this. We have lost a lot of business. Situation is so bad that people are parking their vehicles at far away places and coming to our shop walking. At least now people are coming but we lost two months when there was a season. Now the season is gone. This is the prime area because of the Church. It is visited by most of the people who come to Goa,” he said.
Showing a thick layer of dust gathered on the glasses, an attendant of the shop asked how many times can we clean these glasses?
Rohan of a shoe shop said, “The road has been lying in this condition for the last three months. The officials who come here say that it will be completed but we do not know when. Yesterday the local MLA had come but we do not know what happened. The fact is that there is so much dust that we have not put up new shoes on display. Already the business is down by as much as 90 per cent. Peak season is gone.”
