VASCO
Facing criticism over delayed work on the Vasco bus stand, Vasco MLA and KTC Chairman Carlos Almeida on Wednesday said he may have to engage “divers” to go deep into the ground to prove the works on the bus stand.
Almeida was speaking to reporters after a programme to felicitate three KTC staffers of a bus who returned gold and cash worth Rs 1.2 lakh to a passenger who had forgotten it in the bus.
"Goa is proud of our KTC staff, Rajesh Upsakar, Mangesh Naik and Krishna Pirankar for their honesty and efficient service. We felicitated the staff to recognise and honour their services, while also serving to motivate others," said Almeida.
Commenting on the KTC bus stand, Almeida said works have been carried out and 80 per cent of piling works had been completed.
“These works are carried underground and hence, we cannot see anything visible on or above the surface. I may have to engage divers to go into the ground to show how deep we have gone.”
“The issue of the pending work is related to the contractor and he has also received an additional payment of Rs 4 crore, but there is a dispute and he has gone to the court.”
“As of now, I can say that all roads on the KTC bus stand will be tarred by December," said Almeida.
KTC Vice Chairman and Vasco BJP Block President Deepak Naik said the Vasco bus stand has become a subject of politics due to the upcoming elections.
“The works had begun but the only bad luck is that we had the wrong contractor. He was given advance money and also paid for mobilisation charges, but this amount is gone to NPA account.”
“There have been consistent efforts and series of meetings between Almeida and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take this project forward. The project is worth Rs 100 crore, of which the piling work is worth Rs 20 crore and has almost been completed.”
“Once the piling work is completed, we only need 6-12 months to finish the entire project. PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar has assured to tar the roads and hot-mix it on top priority after the monsoons," said Naik.
Others present at the felicitation function included KTC Managing Director Derrick Neto and General Manager Sanjay Ghate.
