SUDIN KO GUSSA
KYON AATA HAI?
* The minister lashes out at the State Govt for handing over PWD projects GSIDC
* PWD’s rate of construction is Rs 21,000 whereas GSIDC’s minimum is Rs 35,000, he says
* Why was HC building constructed by PWD transferred to GSIDC, he questions
* It's not correct to transfer projects that we have seriously worked on, he says
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Meanwhile, Sudin on Wednesday lashed out at the State Government for handing over projects undertaken by the Public Works Department (PWD) to Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC).
These developmental projects which have been sanctioned by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of State Transport are expected to cost about Rs 15,000 crore and will be funded entirely by the Centre.
Speaking to media persons, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said, “The Centre has already cleared development of NH-4 and NH-17 and also the 8-km national highway connecting the international greenfield airport at Mopa. The foundation stone for these projects will be laid before December 10.”
He also informed that on NH-17, six-lane bridges will come across all the rivers.
“The national highway from Mopa to Panaji will be made six-lane and wherever possible attempts will be for six-lane,” he said.
Additionally, four-laning of Mollem to Khandepar and Farmagudi to Old Goa will be taken up which will have two six-lane bridges, of which one will be at Banastari.
“We have still not worked out the cost but as per our estimate, it is expected to be about Rs 15,000 crore,” informed Dhavalikar.
He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the new building of PWD at Altinho, Panaji. The new building is tendered at Rs 26 crore and is expected to be completed by April 2018.
Criticising GSIDC over higher rates of construction in the presence of GSIDC Vice-Chairman Sidharth Kuncalienkar, he said, “PWD’s rate of construction is Rs 21,000 whereas GSIDC’s minimum rate of construction comes to Rs 35,000. There is a vast difference, may be because of other facilities. But one thing is very sure that I really want my architect office to be taken over by the GSIDC for consultancy of projects.”
Pointing out that the projects on which the PWD has worked for over six months are being handed over to GSIDC abruptly, he said, “This is a bad thing as far as the government is concerned. The High Court building was undertaken by PWD. But without consulting PWD, it was transferred to GSIDC. I don’t know why and in what way it has been done.”
“We work on the project for six-seven months and suddenly it is being handed over to someone else is not correct. I am against such types of things. But one thing we have to remember that we are all engineers and we want to build the nation. So we should ignore such things”, he said.
