Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that the proposed PM Unity Mall project will move forward, with the government currently exploring a new location for its construction.
Addressing the House, Khaunte said the government has initiated the administrative procedure to identify an alternative site after the earlier plan to build the project at Chimbel faced resistance from local stakeholders.
He assured that the project remains on track and that efforts are underway to finalise suitable land for its development.
The minister also alleged that the Chimbel panchayat has retained ₹1 crore that the government had paid towards obtaining a construction licence for the project. According to him, the panchayat has refused to return the amount unless the earlier site is restored.
Khaunte said the government is presently unable to undertake restoration work at the location as the new site for the project is yet to be finalised.
He further claimed that the protests held in Chimbel against the proposed Unity Mall had political undertones. According to the minister, the demonstrations were not entirely centred on opposition to the project itself but were influenced by political interests.
