The Mormugao Municipal Council’s attempt to build a signature project with silver jubilee funds is the same as that of a taxi driver trying to start his car without a battery. Ever since the funds were made available about six years ago the MMC has made at least four attempts to get this project off the ground with no success. The council had decided to demolish the chief officer’s bungalow and construct a commercial complex. Residents of the port town have lost count on the number of times tenders were floated for the project. In the meantime, the initial fund of Rs 3 crore has increased to Rs 5 crore, thanks to interest earned and it would seem the MMC is preparing for old age instead of doing something constructive with the money. Couldn’t the MMC have identified some other work to undertake? The problem in Goa is that development means construction of projects. Sadly, there is not much space left in our cities for such kind of development and that could be the reason why municipalities cannot find avenues to utilise funds. Instead of building projects, municipalities must start thinking of simple things like cleanliness, traffic management, smart parking and multi-parking. Municipalities need to re-think their priorities and demolish the construction model.
