GPF Chief Vijai Sardesai writes to PM Modi; demands intervention in Panjim Smart City Project execution
Panaji | June 13: Goa Forward Party Chief Vijai Sardesai writes a letter to PM Modi and expresses his concern over the corruption, mismanagement and negligence in the execution of Panjim Smart City Project and demanded the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Modi into the matter.
He further stated that city is confined because of haphazard and unplanned construction work needed to transform Panaji into a smart city. The situation has become a dire source of distress for local residents of the Panaji.
“Respected Prime Minister, I write to you with a sense of urgency and concern regarding the Panjim Smart City Project. This project, envisioned to transform Panjim into a modern, efficient city, has degenerated, regrettably, into a monument of mismanagement, corruption, and negligence, severely impacting the quality of life of Panjim’s residents. The Smart City Project has become a source of continuous distress for the citizens of Panjim,” wrote GFP chief in a letter.
GFP Chief highlighted the mismanagement in the process despite of substantial fund allocation of approximately Rs. 1,200 crores. He stated that the execution of the project has been fraught with myriad issues, leading to widespread disillusionment, frustration and indignation among the residents.
“There are grave allegations of massive corruption and financial misappropriation associated with the project. Despite the Chief Minister acknowledging the faults of the consultant, no significant action has been taken against these contractors. The contractor in question has a history of substandard work across various departments, yet continues to receive government contracts,” wrote Sardesai.
According to the GFP Chief, the major issues that need immediate intervention and investigation of PM Narendra Modi are mismanagement and faulty execution of projects, flooding and infrastructure collapse, spontaneous sinkholes and safety hazards, traffic congestion and public inconvenience, fatal accidents and loss of lives and corruption and lack of accountability.
“The project, since its inception, has suffered from poor planning and execution. lnitial delays and the selection of an incompetent consultant led to significant setbacks. The recent transition to in-house consultancy has not sufficiently mitigated the problems. The haphazard and unplanned construction work has resulted in severe dust pollution, causing health hazards to the residents. Multiple petitions have been filed in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, demanding urgent measures to curb this pollution.”
Addressing the issue of flooding and infrastructure collapse, Sardesai mentioned, “Recent heavy rainfall has exposed the inadequacies of the Smart City’s infrastructure. Poor drainage systems have led to significant flooding, causing severe inconvenience and damage to properties. The newly constructed drainage system collapsed at Taad-Maad, near Caculo Mall, exacerbating the situation. The flooding has highlighted the lack of pre-monsoon preparedness and the substandard quality of work. Despite recent road renovations, these efforts have proven ineffective in preventing water logging.”
He also raised the issue of sinkholes and spontaneous sinking and wrote, “The city has witnessed spontaneous sinkholes, notably near critical areas like the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s office and BJP’s office. Such incidents expose the compromised structural integrity of the newly constructed roads and drainage systems.”
Marking the increasing loss of lives incident, he further wrote, “The project’s negligence has resulted in tragic accidents, including the deaths of a labourer from Bihar and a local youth from Ribandar. These incidents point to a glaring lack of safety measures and oversight during construction activities.”
Vijai also raised the troubles and inconvenience caused to traffic and daily commuters by writing, “Extensive digging of roads for various Smart City works has caused severe traffic congestion, leading to daily hardships for commuters. The execution of these works without proper coordination and planning has rendered several roads impassable.
GFP Chief requested PM Modi to order a comprehensive audit of the project, encompassing financial, quality, and safety aspects and initiate a criminal investigation against the responsible authorities for mismanagement and corruption.
He conveyed that the residents of Panjim are looking in a hope towards him for an enhancement of their quality of life and urged him to take a prompt response and decisive action from the Prime Minister.
