MAPUSA
Facing the heat from the opposition benches, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday told the Goa Legislative Assembly that 33 percent of the Smart City works have been completed so far and the ongoing works will be completed in entirety by October this year.
Sawant also said that a complaint has been filed against the former CEO who was incharge of the ongoing works in the city.
“So far 33 percent of the work is completed. Panaji will look smart once it’s 100 percent complete. By October 2023 all the works will be completed. We have filed a complaint with the police against the former Smart City CEO and also issued show-cause notices to certain contractors,” Sawant said while replying to the opposition queries during the Question Hour.
The Opposition once again pilloried the government for indulging in “criminal waste of money” while carrying out the Smart City works and demanded a judicial inquiry.
“It appears all affairs with merits and without merits is handled in a smart way, turning the Smart City with human excretion following breakage of sewage chambers. There is complete mess in the Smart City works,” said Altone D’Costa, Quepem MLA.
“We had sought answers on the financial position of the ongoing works but the information provided to us is complete ‘gotala’,” he added.
He said the total expenditure in the ongoing works was mentioned as Rs 537 crore to a starred question while in an unstarred question the figure was Rs 548 crore, showing disparity in figures.
The CM attributed the difference in figures as various departments were carrying out the works.
Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao said he had sought details of flooding in the capital city but the government failed to provide the same and wondered why the incidents were not mentioned.
“When there is high tide water gets accumulated in certain pockets which cannot be called flooding in real sense,” the CM retorted.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said various utility cables were damaged due to the ongoing work and they were repaired a number times leading to criminal waste of money.
“We need a judicial inquiry in the entire financial mess of the ongoing Smart City works,” Sardesai said.
