Narayan Pissurlenkar.
In Panaji’s Campal area, where State parades on Republic Day (January 26) and Liberation Day (December 19) were once held, stands a sports complex built at a cost of Rs 35 crore under the Smart City Mission.
The Campal Multi-Utility Sports and Commercial Facility has a football turf, academy space, parking, commercial areas and branding zones. However, more than two years after its completion, it remains locked and unused, with no matches, academy or public activity.
With no clarity on who will operate and maintain it, the facility has become a symbol of a larger problem plaguing Smart City projects in the capital: infrastructure has been built, but ownership and accountability remain missing.
In June this year, the government proposed leasing the facility to a private operator for ten years through the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA). A transaction advisor was to be appointed to design the bidding process and identify an operator.
The proposal required the operator to reserve the facility free of cost for government events for 30 days annually and allocate 10 per cent of sports academy seats to underprivileged youth nominated by GSUDA. However, the plan faced political resistance and public criticism. Opposition councillor Jack Sukhija opposed the proposal, followed by Panaji MLA and Revenue Minister Atanasio Babush Monserrate and Mayor Rohit Monserrate.
The government subsequently withdrew the proposal. Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane announced that the facility would instead be handed over to the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) for upkeep and maintenance. Four months later, however, there has been no handover, operational plan or visible progress. The stadium remains locked. Its uncertain future reflects a wider problem repeatedly highlighted since Smart City projects were declared complete. Roads, utilities, digital infrastructure and public spaces have been inaugurated with much fanfare, but the government has yet to clarify who will ultimately own, maintain and operate these assets.
The government had earlier proposed a dedicated mechanism involving the CCP and multiple departments to manage Smart City infrastructure after commissioning. However, the mechanism has never materialised. Public money has been spent to create the infrastructure, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies have been held to dedicate it to public use. Yet one of Panaji’s most expensive public facilities sits silent behind locked gates: another forgotten file.
