When the BJP came to power in 2012, riding a wave of anti-Congress sentiments, little did anyone predict that less than three years later, the then chief minister, Manohar Parrikar would get elevated to the Centre, and a new CM in Laxmikant Parsekar would emerge. There’s also the different cases of alleged u-turns, as the new CM systematically decimated all the poll promises of the erstwhile state head, with realistic arguments for why they would not happen. As of September 2015, the casinos have not been moved out of the Mandovi, there is no Regional Plan, no Lokayukta and there are a host of other unfulfilled promises.
Against this backdrop, now comes the promise to kickstart five large infrastructure projects. Not all of them will culminate before the elections come around in early 2017, but the BJP will fast track the permissions and other necessities so that they can have something solid to ride the next election wave on.
The five major projects are, the third bridge over the River Mandovi, the South Goa district hospital, the proposed IT park at Chimbel, the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing facility at Tuem and the proposed greenfield airport at Mopa. Parsekar himself stated that the government would pursue these five as their flagship projects and a priority for the remainder of the BJP’s tenure.
Work on the bridge over the Mandovi is already underway and whilst the project has its detractors, specifically those who feel that a new bridge across the other large river in Goa is a more pertinent requirement, this project is the legacy of the current Union Minister for Defence and hence will be treated as a pet project by the BJP. Apart from that, the bridge will also help decongest the capital city and serve as part of the corridor for one of the other projects on the list, the Mopa airport.
All permissions and preliminary work at Mopa has been completed, including getting the nod from the ministry of civil aviation. The government has now shortlisted five companies for the final tendering stage, so there is a new airport on the horizon for Goa. However, the main sticking point for the BJP is the question of whether Dabolim would actually still function or not. The government claims that it will. The presence of investors means that two airports might just work in tandem. The reality, unfortunately, is in the pudding. Goa will have to wait until Mopa is functional to find that out.
The South Goa district hospital has been a long time coming and will certainly boost medical infrastructure in Salcette and its surrounding areas. However, medical infrastructure in Goa itself needs a massive boost. There is a dire need to have good quality medical staff and doctors and also maintain the infrastructure. The task then will not be complete when the hospital is built.
One of the biggest question marks regarding this list however, is the absence of the much needed Zuari Bridge. Is it part of a larger plan or will the documentation and other procedures take longer than the 15 months until the elections? The bridge would have been key to garnering support in South Goa.
The five project mission does show prudence on the part of Laxmikant Parsekar and the BJP government. It ideally is a smart and well-thought out list. Will the implementation of this mission be as masterful?
