CCP approves smart city proposal
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THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Corporation of the City of Panaji on Tuesday approved the smart city proposal (SCP) to be presented to the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) as part of the Smart City Mission.
SCP will now be sent to the State Government for approval which is expected by December 8 and it is likely to be sent to the MoUD by December 14.
The resolution was passed at the special meeting of CCP attended by all councillors including Mayor, CCP Commissioner, Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar, municipal engineers, consultant for SCP, among others.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, CCP Mayor Shubham Chodankar said, “We had called a special meeting of CCP for approval of the SCP. We have unanimously passed a resolution to approve the same.”
Earlier during the meeting, former Mayor Surendra Furtado questioned why the SCP was first put up before the high powered state-level committee (HPSC), instead of CCP.
“I have already said that all 30 corporators are for smart city, but not the way it is being taken forward. The SCP should have been placed before the CCP first and then sent to HPSC for further approval. In Panaji’s case, it was done the other way. The SCP was first sent to the HPSC for approval and now it has been placed before the Council," pointed Furtado.
Furtado also alleged that the consultants have taken DPRs of previous consultants and prepared the SCP.
“CCP cannot do anything because everything is within the control of the government. It is zero as far as powers are concerned," he said.
Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar expressed happiness that councillors from the ruling as well as opposition approved the SCP.
“All 30 councillors were speaking in a single direction for approving the SCP. Now we expect to get the State Government approval by December 8 and it will be sent to the Centre by December 14 for qualifying in the first 20 smart cities," said Kuncalienkar.
