VASCO
Stating that Panaji was selected for 'Smart City' for fulfilling the population criteria, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said once Panaji is developed into smart city, the model of Panaji will be replicated in other cities.
Parrikar along with South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar held a meeting with BJP workers of Ward 22 of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) at New Vaddem, Vasco.
He said his visit was not related to the forthcoming civic polls. “Whenever I get some time off from my busy schedule, I make it a point to visit Goa, and interact with the party workers when required,” he said.
Parrikar said as per the requirement, Panaji has a population of 10 lakh, and based on this it was selected for smart city. “It does not take one year to develop a city into smart city, but it takes a longer period, and once the city is developed into smart city, the model of Panaji will be replicated in other cities,” said Parrikar.
Commenting on the municipal council election, he urged the party workers to remain united and get the candidates backed by the party elected.
When asked how important was the council election to him and to BJP, Parrikar said every election is important to BJP.
“For any political party, every election is important. It is irrelevant whether the election is big or small,” he added.
Parrikar, however, admitted that his presence in the port town during the council election time will benefit the BJP-backed candidates.
The meeting was convened in Ward 22, where the candidates of Ward 22 and 23 attended, in Dabolim constituency. Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho said the meeting was indeed to support the candidature of the BJP-backed candidates.
