NOTE-WORTHY
>> Proposal to exclude Chimbel IT Park project from jurisdiction of local panchayat
>> Decision to set up a common State cadre for panchayat secretaries
>> Clearance for casinos to continue to operate in Mandovi river for another six months
>> Deal for technical collaboration with Portugal for water and sewerage management in
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PANAJI: Ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar put off Friday's scheduled meeting of his cabinet at the eleventh hour but the agenda was cleared 'by circulation' including the proposal to transform the project at Chimbel into an autonomous 'IT Township' outside the jurisdiction of the local panchayat.
Cabinet sources said, several other decisions including to set up a common State cadre for panchayat secretaries, clearance for casinos to continue to operate in the navigation channel of the Mandovi river off Panaji for another six months up to September 30 this year, were also cleared by the council of ministers by circulation.
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar disclosed that the deal for technical collaboration with Portugal for water and sewerage management in Goa has also got clearance of the Cabinet by circulation on Friday.
Sources said, the cabinet decisions were pushed through 'by circulation' in view of the imminent imposition of Model Code of Conduct by the Election Commission of India for the impending Lok Sabha elections.
The cabinet resolution to transform the IT projects into autonomous townships also authorizes the IT department to identify and earmark land both in Chimbel and Porvorim. These earmarked areas will be outside the jurisdiction of the respective panchayat or civic body, according to the cabinet resolution.
Meanwhile, the decision to put off the cabinet meeting was taken because a few ministers who were out-of-station were unable to reach in time. The ministers were informed about the chief minister's decision not to have the formal cabinet meeting on Friday morning, sources in the chief minister's
office said.
In another major decision, the cabinet approved the doubling of the railway tracks from Margao to Collem and the requisite land acquisition process was also cleared.
