PANAJI
The State Government has re-constituted the Board of Directors of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) with the inclusion Rohit Monserrate, the newly elected Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji, as one of the Board of Directors.
The Department of Urban Development issued the notification this week announcing the list of reconstituted Board of directors of the IPSCDL.
Incidentally, both the Monserrates - father and son duo - are now on the Board of Directors of this special purpose vehicle conceptualised in 2015 for operationalizing the Smart City Projects. Rohit's father and Panaji MLA Antanasio 'Babush' Monserrate is also a director of IPSCDL since 2020. Two Monserrates are the only political persons on the board while rest of the board members are civil service officers.
The Chief Secretary of Goa is the Chairman and IAS officer Ravi Dhawan the Managing Director of IPSCDL besides other government officials on the board.
Earlier, the IPSCDL board was reconstituted in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. There are allegations that since the formation of the IPSCDL this special purpose vehicle has not served its purpose efficiently. IPSCDL's former MD Swayadipta Pal Choudhuri was shunted out due to allegations of mismanagement.
With Babush Monserrate's come back, IPSCDL has reoriented its focus. The IPSCDL has plans to develop the Ribandar area.
