the goan I network
PERNEM
With the Pernem Municipal Council heavily dependent on the government for approvals and funds, councillors are eagerly awaiting the formation of the new government to initiate new projects or to complete existing ones.
Classified as a C-class municipal council, PMC needs the government’s approvals to undertake most developmental works and has limited access to generate its own revenue.
The municipal council has been unable to recover the funds within its purview. House taxes to the tune of Rs 12 lakh are outstanding and the PMC had sent notices to the defaulters. However, the pending dues are yet to be recovered due to lack of co-operation from the locals.
The PMC had received Silver Jubilee funds from the government, but is yet to utilise the same for a key project and the money has been deposited in the bank. The PMC also earned some revenue after auctioning the Sopo tax contract for Rs 9.15 lakh.
Projects have been slow to take off in Pernem town and the PMC’s new garbage treatment plant is one such instance of a lengthy delay.
The PMC had built a new garbage treatment plant at a cost of Rs 3 crore under the GSUDA, but it has turned out to be a white elephant
and no garbage has
been treated in the plant for several years.
In some cases, existing projects have not been maintained in Pernem town. During the last monsoon, some parts of the PMC market ceiling had collapsed and it is yet to be repaired by authorities.
The remaining portion of the ceiling is in a precarious condition, posing a serious threat to many fish and vegetable vendor who sit inside the market building.
Politics has also played a key role in determining
the outcome of projects in Pernem town.
During the 2015 municipal elections, BJP got the upper hand as its panel of seven councillors was elected in the 10-member council.
The three opposition members later joined the BJP panel, thereby enabling the BJP to take complete control of the municipal council.
But when the 2017 assembly elections were declared, the BJP panel at PMC suffered a major setback as five BJP-backed councillors joined MGP candidate Babu Azgaonkar. With the PMC split equally into two groups, development soon came to a standstill.
Development works have slowed down, admits PMC Chairperson
PERNEM: Admitting that development works had slowed down, Pernem Municipal Council (PMC) Chairperson Smita Kudtarkar was confident that projects in Pernem town would get a boost after results of the assembly elections.
“There are plans to build multi-purpose projects by demolishing the old market, old library along with the PMC building. The old shop owners in the market area will be given space in the new multi-purpose complex,” she added.
“The PMC will get a boost regarding projects once the new government is formed,” claimed Kudtarkar.
Commenting on the new garbage treatment plant in the town, PMC Deputy Chairperson Upendra Deshprabhu said: “The plant has been leased out to a Chennai-based company. It will treat garbage and fuel will be generated from plastic. The PMC and GSUDA will each get a 1% benefit from the earnings of the plant.”
