Govt has sanctioned Rs 1 crore to Ponda civic body: PMC chief

Says PMC will utilise the fund to construct new administrative building

Ponda: Chairperson of Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Shantaram Kolvekar, on Friday, informed that the Goa government has sanctioned Rs 1 crore fund for the Ponda Municipality recently under Goa’s  Liberation Day Fund, and the PMC will use the fund to build a new administrative building. He was addressing the media following the council meeting.  

Kolvekar said that the state government has sanctioned Rs 1 crore under Goa’s  Liberation Day Fund, and there is a clear-cut directive from the government that the stated fund should be used for some major project rather than for taking up small works. Considering it, the PMC has decided to utilise the fund for the construction of a new administrative building, which has been proposed recently.

“The PMC is facing a space issue in the present administrative building, but since it is a heritage structure, we cannot demolish it completely. Taking note of the same, PMC has planned a new building beside the existing one, and the estimated cost of the same is around Rs 1.50 crore,” the chairperson said.

“The PMC has decided to use government sanctioned Rs 1 crore for it and additional Rs 50 lakh will be used from the 15th Finance Commission Scheme,” he added.  

Kolvekar also informed that “the PMC has discussed the utilisation of the fund for the construction of new administrative building with the government officials and also with the officials of Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and they are okay with it.” 

The PMC has sent the plan of the new building to DMA for approval, and once it is approved, will initiate the project work, he added.

Besides the issue of new administrative building, issues of basement parking at the Ponda market complex and street vendors occupying open spaces or disturbing the traffic flow were also discussed at the council meeting.

The PMC has decided to refurbish the basement parking area with the aim of making it usable.

The PMC will install new LED lights in the basement area, install gate at the entrance, and will also deploy security guards to monitor the parking and also to prevent any anti-social activity in the basement. Once that is done, there will be enough space for parking at the Ponda market area, said the chairperson. Over the issue of roadside vendors, the chairperson said that the PMC has decided to identify vending spaces in the market area, and the street vendors will be made to sit there thus discouraging roadside vending.

Further, PMC’s technical team will find if any encroachment has been made on the government land or open spaces by anyone and will clear the same once brought to notice, he said.

Another important decision the PMC has taken on Friday is to formulate their own bylaws to ease the process of issuance of trade licence.

Presently, many shop owners or businessmen are finding it difficult to get trade licence due to documentation process involved, and  the bylaws will help  ease the process, the chairperson added.

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