TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: On the day he filed his nomination for a seat in the Rajya Sabha from distant Uttar Pradesh, Manohar Parrikar’s Panjim constituents, the people who voted for him five consecutive times, are left wondering what will happen to the plans he had for the constituency. Especially, the plan to develop the capital city and transform it into a modern 22nd century metropolis.
Parrikar, in his first stint as chief minister, had initiated some infrastructure improvements, sprucing up the city for the first IFFI in 2004. After that there was little done till he returned to power in 2012. The sudden stoppage of mining activity in September 2012 placed the State in bad financial shape and developmental works for the city were mainly maintenance focused.
However, planning for development continued and a master plan for Panjim was unveiled amidst allegations from CCP quarters that the plan was a copy of an earlier one commissioned by the corporation.
When the financial situation eased a little and work orders were issued, amidst opposition from various quarters, works that began somehow met bottlenecks.
For instance, the road work from the NIO Circle to the Dona Paula Jetty, which the former chief minister had promised to monitor after residents met him, and the repair work to the Miramar-Dona Paula road after the destruction caused by the PWD sewerage section to large section of it while laying sewerage lines are yet to reach completion.
That happened when Parrikar was present in the State, as MLA of Panjim and chief minister of Goa, and to works he had promised to sort out.
If such coordination glitches could occur when he was in Goa, and in control, what now, wonder the people of Panjim.
