Editor, Goemkarponn
AERIAL VIEW
While last year roudn it was turn of Panaji, the city still continues to suffer, as every street in Panaji was flooded, this year it is Ribandar-kars, as the ugly digging works have begun in this picturisque village.
While we wrote and criticised the government enough on the Smart City Mission, now it is the contractors who are trying their best to finish off works in time – thereby ignoring the safety measures for their workers, forget the genral public. The public is up in arms over the incessant digging without proper measures.
Now who is to be blamed? The Goa Chief Minister in a bid to change things brought in Sanjit Rodrigues as the new CEO for better implementation and so also the Chief Secretary, who is the head of Administration, himself heads the IPSCDL.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
As predicted, the worst nightmares of Panjimites & the Ribandarkars have just come true. A innocent life was lost due to the negligence to safety measures by the contractor.
On Monday, Goa was shocked to get the news of being trapped to death by the pile of mud on Ribandar road where the sewerage works are underway.
While last year roudn it was turn of Panaji, the city still continues to suffer, as every street in Panaji was flooded, this year it is Ribandar-kars, as the ugly digging works have begun in this picturisque village.
While we wrote and criticised the government enough on the Smart City Mission, now it is the contractors who are trying their best to finish off works in time – thereby ignoring the safety measures for their workers, forget the genral public. The public is up in arms over the incessant digging without proper measures.
Now who is to be blamed? The Goa Chief Minister in a bid to change things brought in Sanjit Rodrigues as the new CEO for better implementation and so also the Chief Secretary, who is the head of Administration, himself heads the IPSCDL.
The Panaji MLA Babush Monseratte is on record washing off his hands on any kind of controversy in Smart City works. He had said a year ago that he does not rule out such things in Goa as the works are of sub-standard quality.
Monseratte and his Rohit, who is the CCP Mayor, are members of the IPSCDL committee.
Besides, Monseratte has said the Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, is personally monitoring the works.
Now if the Panaji MLA distances himself from the mess, who else is to be blamed? The onus is now on the Chief Minister to answer some tough questions, isn’t it?
The Chief Minister kept intervening too late when the monsoons were on the doorsteps. He appointed a new officer IAS Sanjit Rodrigues to complete the work on time.
However, the CM must understand however good an officer may be, the corrupt system does not allow him to work as per his decisions. Besides, Sanjit Rodrigues, who has served Panaji before and understands Panaji well, is not a magician.
What kind of work did the CM expect from Sanjit? The corrupt have already taken their commissions, and the people of Panaji now have to suffer.
If the Chief Minister really wants to clear the mess in Panaji, he could do well to direct a probe into the Smart city handling.
Right from the tendering to the work orders or the execution of works, everything has to be probed.
Swayandipta Pal Chowdhary, the controversial CEO of IPSCDL, who splurged on Smart City funds, need to be arrested first. Only he can spill the beans of the people involved in the commission.
What is difficult to understand is that the CM and the other legislator know very well about corruption in Smart City; there is no accountability fixed as neither there is any inquiry or any arrests.
Successive IPSCDL CEOs and members claimed the works are monitored by Prime Minister himself. Does this mean that the PM approves of such corruption?
The CM needs to get the culprits behind bars irrespective of who they are, which party they belong to, and whether they are officers from State or IAS; nobody should be spared, as people have lost crores due to this criminal negligence and now they are losing lives.
