the goan I network
PANAJI
Uday Madkaikar, Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) on Thursday slammed Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) the special purpose vehicle formed to turn Panaji into a “smart city” for not having completed any of their works.
Madkaikar, at a press conference said that while agencies like L&T had said that they’ve dug up the roads on behalf of Smart City, Smart City officials were denying it.
“Who will re-instate the roads? Their works are all incomplete. In Altinho opposite the office of Chief Electoral Officer, works are not being complete for months, as is the work near Kala Academy,” he said.
Madkaikar also demanded the resignation of Smart City MD and CEO Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri saying that Chaudhuri was taking the people of Panjim for granted. “He needs to apologise to the people of Panjim for taking them for granted. He needs to be sacked immediately, and replaced with an IAS officer,” said Madkaikar.
The mayor also said that if Smart City officials do not produce a list of the works being undertaken by them within four days from Thursday, he would put a stop to all Smart City works in the city.
Meanwhile, the mayor, alongside corporator Rahul Lotlikar blamed IPSCDL for the low rating Panaji had received in the latest cleanliness survey of all the cities in the country.
“Considering all the work that Smart City claims to be doing for the past couple of years, we should have climbed the ladder, not dropped down,” he said.
Although the mayor has been insisting that Smart City officials had not provided him with a list of the works being undertaken by them, the letter sent by the mayor to Chaudhuri on March 19 does not ask for the said list.
