PANAJI
The capital city is set to get a minor facelift with the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) proposing to spruce up four of its existing parks under the much-touted and long overrun Smart City Mission programme.
The four gardens which are set to be taken up for improvement are the Francisco Luis Gomes garden at Campal, the Mermaid garden opposite the district court, the Menezes Braganza garden opposition the North Goa Collectorate and the Albamar garden.
GSUDA has floated a tender, totally worth Rs 7.48 crore. It will encompass refurbishing the structures in these gardens, landscaping and also re-illumination.
The GSUDA tender also talks of improving public spaces without however specifying which in the capital city. Also included in the tender is an item related to accessibility and mobility related services for children and seniors. The tender also includes maintenance of the parks.
Refurbishing gardens and parks in the past have stirred up controversies with critics arguing these projects are unplanned and unnecessary, besides allegations surfacing of corruption.
The Bernard Guedes garden in the heart of the city was refurbished multiple times in the two-three years before the pandemic and the space is out-of-bounds for citizens, critics argue.
