PANAJI
Close on the heels of the loss in the Panaji bypoll Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will hold a review of the controversial 'Smart City' plans at a public consultation of the project slated to be held on Tuesday at the Institute Menezes Braganza hall in the city.
A routine 'citizen consultation', officials of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation are expected to make a presentation on the comprehensive planning of future development plans of the Smart City project.
However, in light of the past controversies pertaining to Smart City, the event, which is slated to be held at 7 pm on Tuesday, is likely to see heated arguments over works carried out under the project in the city by-passing the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The opaque funding of the project and seemingly mundane works such as toilet blocks, re-laying of pavements among others tendered at exorbitant costs, was one of the hotly debated topics during the campaign for the recently concluded Panjim bypoll.
The defeated BJP candidate, Siddharth Kuncolienkar headed the IPSCDL for the last two years up until he quit the post weeks before the May 19 by-election for the Panaji assembly constituency was notified.
Elected mayors of the CCP and IPSCDL had constantly been at loggerheads during these two years over the city's developmental issues since the civic body had no say although all work is being implemented within its administrative jurisdiction.
