PANAJI
Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate on Monday announced that the renovated Dona Paula jetty will be officially thrown open to the public from December 5 after he visited the site along with Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte and a group of locals.Monserrate said, all the pending work will be completed before December 5.
His son, Rohit, who is the mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) was also present.
A popular tourist spot where scores throng almost every day, the Dona Paula jetty has been shut for more than four years for renovation which has been executed through the Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
There was however no clarity on the controversial issue of placing the stall owners and giving them possession of freshly designed and built kiosks.
The jetty was shut back in November 2018 by an order of the North Goa Collector, citing safety issues but the re-development work was launched only in February 2021, initially due to the policy paralysis attributed to the then ailing chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, and later over a choice of the agency that will take up the project.
Eventually, GTDC was appointed to do the work.
Local MLA and Monserrate's wife Jennifer did not attend the inspection. The local corporator, Nelson Cabral, who is a known political opponent of the Monserrates was also not around when the two ministers and Panaji mayor went around inspecting the jetty along with officials.
