MAPUSA
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho on Friday assured the House to shift the Directorate of Panchayats lock, stock and barrel into the new spacious premises at Patto-Panaji within six months.
“We have consciously taken a big area of 868 sq mts so that all offices of the Directorate of Panchayats including the BDO can be shifted to the new premises at Patto. We will shift to the new premises, Miles High, within six months,” Godinho said.
The Panchayat Minister was responding to a query raised by Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat at the Question Hour.
Godinho said that the present location of the Directorate of Panchayat in the Junta House was an old and congested building and therefore the government decided to shift to the new premises.
He further informed that after taking the premises on rent the department approached the GSIDC to furnish it.
“The GSIDC quoted Rs 3.5 crore to furnish the entire premises. But due to financial crunch, the file could not be cleared,” he said.
He further disclosed that the technical cell of the Directorate of Panchayat has now decided to furnish the premises at the lowest cost at Rs 95 lakh.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat informed that many times the government takes premises on rent and fails to utilise it but continues to pay rent and spend public money irresponsibly.
“We have seen this happening before. We have seen how the premises was brought in the Spaces building and remained unutilised for almost two years. The CAG has also passed strictures in the matter. Rent was paid in crores,” Kamat said.
He said the panchayat minister’s intention may have been good but the premises was taken in 2018 and the directorate was yet to shift there.
