PANAJI
State Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has asked the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) for a detailed report on its plan to redevelop Miramar Residency into a five-star hotel. The project has already received environmental clearance.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Khaunte said he is not fully aware of the proposal, which is why he has requested more information from the GTDC.
He said that GTDC is looking into the possibility of taking back some properties it had leased out and bringing in private companies to run them. “Back in 2016, when Nilesh Cabral was the chairman, GTDC had started leasing out some of its properties,” he said.
The Minister said the idea is to improve these ageing properties, which need renovation, and in turn generate income and create jobs.
GTDC had earlier outsourced places like Miramar Residency, Old Goa Residency, Britona Residency, and Anjuna Residency under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, but the results were not as expected.
Khaunte said GTDC has now started cancelling these leases and is exploring fresh ideas involving private companies.
Miramar Residency, which has been shut for a few years, covers around 20,000 square metres. It currently has about 60 rooms along with a restaurant and other facilities.
According to The Goan, GTDC plans to turn it into a hotel with 587 guest rooms, a restaurant, banquet and meeting halls, a gym, spa, and swimming pool.
The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority has cleared the project but has told GTDC to make sure the construction area of 74,087.72 square metres follows the current FAR rules set by the local authorities.
GTDC must also get all necessary approvals from departments such as the Town and Country Planning Department, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, Forest Department, State Pollution Control Board, and others before starting the work.
