MARGAO:
What is the status of the Goa Renewable Energy Education Park proposed at the Old Market in 2010? After the government acquired the land in 2007, the Congress government headed by then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat laid the foundation stone for the energy park at the Old Market, meters away from the district courthouse. Kamat even announced that the Rs 2.25 crore project would be completed in 2010. He also promised to set up a mall at the site for self-help groups to showcase their products and market their homemade items.
The central government allocated Rs 1 crore to fund the project, with the state government agreeing to provide the remaining funds. The park was scheduled to have indoor exhibits, a solar hut, a solar car track, and other items.
After the change in government in 2012, when the BJP returned to power, the project hit a block for five long years. In 2017, Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai, who was a minister in the Manohar Parrikar government, scrapped the energy park and proposed a town hall and a cycle velodrome at the site.
Things returned to square one in 2019 after Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai left the Pramod Sawant government. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat recalled that his government proposed the renewable energy park, but the project was never completed because the next government did not want him to get credit for bringing it to the city.
