Is agency required to seek MMC consent?
MARGAO
Even as the controversy over the restaurant proposal in Margao Municipal Council’s multi level parking project refuse to die down, the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) may have to answer a simple question – whether the agency can change the scope of a project without consent from the project proponent?
This question may come back to haunt the Director, Urban Development Gurudas Pilarnekar, who also heads GSUDA as its Member Secretary, with successive Margao Municipal Chairpersons coming out in the open to say that a restaurant was never a part of the multilevel parking project proposed by the Civic body at the Old fish market.
The question assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the GSUDA will be executing the multilevel parking project as a depository work for the Margao Municipal Council. This implies that GSUDA will be implementing the project for the MMC after the civic body transferred around Rs five-odd crores.
With a significant portion of the funds for the project has been chipped in by the Civic body, questions are being asked whether the executing agency can change the scope of the project without taking the project proponent into confidence, in the instant case the Margao Municipal Council.
Both incumbent Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar and his predecessor, Ganashyam Shirodkar and Lyndon Pereira have firmly stated that no restaurant proposal was ever made to the GSUDA during their stint in office. In fact, incumbent Chairperson Damu Shirodkar, Ganashyam Shirodkar and Lyndon Pereira have insisted that any changes made in the scope of the project ought to have been discussed first at the Council meeting before affecting the changes.
The Urban Development Director has already feigned ignorance over the restaurant proposal raising its head in the multilevel parking when the Margao Municipal Council had never proposed such a proposal in the project.
A City Father has demanded to know how an executing agency can make suo moto changes to the project without the nod of the proponent.
He added: “The GSUDA is akin to a contractor executing a project on behalf of the project proponent. The agency cannot deviate from the plan submitted by the Margao Municipal Council.”
