Despite many fathers, Panjim is still an orphan

PANJIM: There are too many people in control of the Goa’s capital Panjim. The city has an MLA and a Mayor and the ubiquitous and incompetent Smart City team.

No wonder, Ponjekars (or Panjimites) feel that their city has many fathers but is still an orphan. The State’s capital lies in a complete mess with no coordination among various departments.

With Ponjekars clueless about what to do, the authorities appear to be turning a blind eye to their sufferings.

The ongoing Smart City works have already claimed two lives- one of a 21-year-old youth from Ribandar and another of a labourer from Bihar. While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in January said that an inquiry is on in the Ribandar youth accident case, it is yet not clear who is conducting the inquiry.

The residents expressed their concern over their helplessness and the authorities’ highhandedness.

Speaking to O Heraldo, Jack Sukhija of Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) said, “Yes the city is in a mess. The 30 councillors are definitely a mess. You do not need so many councillors for a city like Panjim. The smart city project has overlapped. There should be an independent authority. There has to be coordination between CCP and the Smart City but I do not think that is happening. The local corporations should have power to run it. That is the major problem right now. They do not have finances. They are dependent on the government for that.”

Former CCP Mayor and sitting councillor Uday Madkaikar said, “The contractor is responsible for the mess. He has no manpower but he has dug all the roads. The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd CEO should oversee the work. The consultant too is responsible for the mess. He has been paid a huge amount of money as a fee but he sits in an AC room and does not come out. No one has seen him on the road. It is he who had prepared the project plan. Yes, there is no coordination between departments. For Smart City work multiple agencies like Public Works Department (PWD), Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) and the contractors are involved. There must be coordination between them.”

Advocate Rui Ferreira said “Works are unsupervised, unverified and free for all, the contractor does not take proper safety measures. Just a change of CEO who was earlier CCP Commissioner will not do wonders, unless there is coordination and proper supervision. Instead of elevating our lives it is causing suffering to us.”

Another former Mayor and sitting councillor Surendra Furtado said, “None of the councillors were taken into confidence during the last so many years. I do not know what is happening. I myself am puzzled that there is no coordination between the departments.”

He said, “We have been demanding that a special meeting be called to tell us what is happening but nothing has happened. I really do not know what to tell you what has happened. It is high time that the Chief Minister should dissolve the

Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited Board. There should be only competent IAS officers in the committee who will report to the Chief Minister directly and one or two local architects who will guide them.”

Former TTAG president and eminent hotelier Gaurish Dhond said, “The situation is pathetic. There is nobody to take the onus on them for the mess created in the city. MLA and the Mayor do not take responsibility nor does the Chief Minister take. (IPSCDL CEO) Sanjit Rodrigues is busy with other work. There is nobody to take responsibility.”