The above Rs 44 crore ambitious market complex project atPonda has left the business community fuming and the public dumbfounded.
A brain child of former Home Minister, Ravi Naik the projectis a perfect example of how public money is wasted on improper planning.
Goa State Urban Development Agency took up the constructionof the project on September 14, 2009.
Interestingly from planning to the construction of themarket complex the end users “ shopkeepers and the public “ were completelykept in the dark as to how the project would pan out.
When a portion of the market was hurriedly thrown open foroperations last year, it was found to be a huge structure, which would not atall benefit the public or the shopkeepers.
The market complex building has four floors. The fourthfloor is earmarked for an auditorium.
Out of around 200 shops being constructed, only 26 shopslocated on the ground floor have been occupied by the vendors.
The rest of the building wears a deserted look. Withcorridors running in between the shops, people visiting the complex getconfused.
“The market complex was very much required. But the way ithas been built, it appears the planning has completely failed,” said SumanthKanekar, a cloth vendor from Ponda.
Those vendors who have been allotted shops in the complex complainthat they hardly get business now.
According to the vendors the market before the complex wasbuilt was teeming with people. But now people refuse to come to the complexeither due to the location of the entrance to the complex or the height of theplinth level of the building.
The vegetable and dry fruits market is proposed to beshifted on the first floor, which is further going to cause hardship to people.
“People are facinganother hurdle in the market, that of acute congestion. The remaining portionof the market cannot be built, as the matter has landed up in court,” said oneof the petitioners, Santosh Shikerkar.
According to Shikerkar PMC refused to renew the lease ofsome traders as they wanted to demolish the structure without alternatearrangements.
Part of the market complex is made operational but GSUDA hasfailed to hand over it to PMC. Further facilities like toilets, lifts and otherfacilities in the complex are still not operational.
“A market should be planned keeping people in mind. Thepresent market complex is like a white elephant. The market complex has noventilation and there is no proper lighting. It is also congested, which provesthat former MLA hurriedly pushed the project down the people’s throat,” saidPonda MLA, Lavu Mamlatdar.
