PANAJI
The ship-shaped riverfront administrative building that was envisaged as a new symbol of Goa’s modern maritime infrastructure is now set to pass into private hands for three decades, along with a network of jetties and a proposed yacht docking station on the River Mandovi.
The Captain of Ports Department on Tuesday floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) to appoint a private entity to operate and maintain the newly developed Captain of Ports Terminal Building and allied jetty facilities, besides constructing and operating a new yacht docking station under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The 30-year concession can be extended by another 10 years.
As per the RFP, under the proposed arrangement, the private operator will take over operations and maintenance of the building and six existing jetties at Panaji, Old Goa and Betim. Three additional floating jetties near Kala Academy, Mahaveer Garden and the Parshuram statue are also proposed to be brought under the project, while another floating concrete jetty with a mini-terminal building and yacht docking station is planned near Divja Circle, adjacent to the Santa Monica Tourism Jetty. The proposed yacht docking station, measuring 200 metres by six metres, is to provide berthing for at least 40 vessels, including three berths reserved for government use. The operator will be permitted to charge up to Rs 30,000 per vessel per month for the facility, or up to Rs 15,000 if Central government financial assistance is used. The estimated project cost is Rs 27.04 cr, with the successful operator also being permitted to generate revenue from passenger and user charges and commercial facilities at the terminal. The bidders can apply till October 23. The RFP states that the Terminal Building, located along the Mandovi River at Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, Panaji, has been developed as an “integrated administrative, passenger and maritime services facility”. Spread over approximately 3,205 sqm, it houses administrative offices, passenger facilities, conference rooms, marine and hydrographic offices, navigational control infrastructure and other public amenities. The RFP also permits a passenger/user fee of up to Rs 25 per passenger. “The maximum fee chargeable shall be Rs 25... per passenger, unless revised by the Authority,” it states. The fee can be escalated by 15 per cent once every three years. The operator will also be allowed to commercially use the rooftop restaurant, rooftop amphitheatre, cafeteria and ticketing counters, subject to the conditions of the agreement.
The concessionaire will have to maintain security and surveillance across the facilities, including AI-enabled CCTV cameras with facial-recognition capability. Recordings must be preserved for at least 90 days, while the RFP mandates that the live CCTV feed be made available to the Captain of Ports.
The terminal was inaugurated by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on June 8. Built by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation, the facility comprises G+3 structures to strengthen monitoring and navigation control along the coastline.
