--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IS PANAJI A RACE COURSE FOR A SMART CITY?
In what way can the cycle race conducted by MLA of Panjim, Sridarth Kunkolienkar around the Panjim city can help in planning SMART CITY of Panjim? What kind of awareness is this for a SMART CITY? It appears to me a cheap publicity. Cycle race was conducted from Divya circle at Patto to Gaspar Dias, when actually Panaji roads are in deplorable condition. Luckily the cycles reached upto Miramar and could not go further as the Dona Paula roads were completely in dilapidated condition. Look at the garbage all around Panjim city. Look at the new arrival of Lexicon, plus the casinos that are already in the Mandovi River which are polluting the river. Look at the traffic chaos all around the city with haphazard parking by outside state vehicles and their drivers seen urinating, defecating and vomiting when their bosses are gambling in Casinos. Will Sidarth and others like minded associates who are involved in the planning the city will be able to achieve their goal for a SMART CITY? First of all, the stinking smell coming from River Mandovi during low tides is a permanent feature. Will the MLA of Panjim be able to stop this bad smell in Campal -Panaji and especially at Patto, Ourem Road and St Ines Creek and Mala –Fontainhas- Portais, St Cruz , Ribandar etc ? Will they be able to succeed putting Panaji gutters in place? St Ines Creek and Ourem Creek is a permanent sewage dirty area. Will they be able to succeed removing all kind of obstacles such as high rise buildings with no parking in place, shifting all petrol pumps, demolishing old dilapidated buildings and other structures? We have also garages repairing vehicles on the roads and pavement. We have old condemned vehicles everywhere in the city roads, and what not. Let Sidarth first tackle all these problems before engaging on the smart city issue. No Panjimites citizen stake holders were invited for the talk in Fidalgo Hotel and elsewhere. Most of the CCP councilors have also boycotted this meeting. Now no one knew about the venue of another meeting which was kept on Sunday ( 18th Oct), as published by Times of India wherein no mention was made regarding the time and the venue. When Sidarth Kunkolienkar was contacted by me on Sat the 17th, his mobile was found ringing with no answer, thereafter I sent him a SMS and still for that I did not receive any answer. Is he only having BJP crowd for the awareness and cheap publicity? Will anytime Panaji become a Smart City? This is not the way to start with this kind of publicity. Can he get rid of all what I have mentioned above before the funds if approved and then only he can think of Panaji as SMART CITY. I doubt that he and CCP Mayor and others will ever succeed the goal for a SMART CITY? During Opinion poll, I remember Dr Jack de Sequeira organized a similar kind of race course of motorcycles, cars, vans from Panaji to Banastarim and many Panjimites and other people took part and went upto Banastarim Maidan to convince the Marathi strong hold crowd there, that Goans do not want to go to Maharashtra and we succeeded on our Opinion Poll verdict. We fought with them on those old days by tooth and nail in this Maidan with dandas and lathis and fire crackers and succeeded convincing them our intention and finally Jack Sequeira won the hearts of Goans with great margin during Opinion Poll which went against the wishes of Dayanand Bandodkar who had plans to convert Goa and merge into Maharashtra. But Panaji becoming SMART CITY will never be achieved when there is no support from real group of Panjimites. I understand that the funds approximately of Rs. 5000/- crores will be raised in the proportion of 40 + 40+ 20 coming from Central Government ,State Govt and Urban Local body, respectively. We were told that a company called ICLEI full form of this company is not yet known, but I suppose that they are from South Asia. Can we get proofs and certification from competent authorities before the said company undertake the work for Smart City? Stephen Dias Senior Citizen Dona Paula date : 18th Oct 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
