This is a warning that villages of Goa are to be traded for JNNURM Funds. I
have said it before that sources under anonymity informed me in 2002 that
the then Development Commissioner of Goa was instructed to work towards
reducing Goa into 3 City Corporations. That substantiates this story with
political parties now pushing for a third district. It is all about money.
This news report below further substantiates this concern. With greedy
politicians out to make a quick buck one should not be surprised if Goa is
even mortgaged to China or Pakistan.
Tied to urban reforms in Goa Centre sets precondition for release of JNNURM
funds
NT NETWORK
PANAJI: The. Union ministry for urban development has directed the state
government to carry out urban reforms if it wants the funds under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
While returning the file for availing the pending central funds, the Union
ministry for urban development ministry officials have stated that they
cannot release Rs 3.2 crore pending with the Centre unless. the state
carries out reforms or gives an assurance to carry out reforms, and turned
down a proposal by the Kadamba Transport Corporation to release funds for
purchasing 20 modern low-floor buses.
Sources in the Kadamba Transport Corporation on condition of anonymity said
theKTC had apprached the Centre to release the funds for purchase of the
low-floor buses. However, the Centre has turned down the request making a
note that the state should undergo reforms or give the Centre assurance of
carrying out reforms.
The sources said the Centre has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 63 crore
for Goa for developing sewerage, roads, sanitation, garbage disposal etc,
however reforms is a precondition for releasing the funds.
Stating that all the conditions laid down under the JNNRUM are not
applicable for Goa as Goa is a small state, the sources said the funds are
basically to develop urban areas with minimum population ofla lakh. However,
in case of Goa the entire state has a population, of just over 14 lakh.
Given this condition, Panaji city nor any urban area in Goa meets this
condition as the population of Panaji is hardly around 1 lakh.
The KTC has written to the Centre to consider whole of Goa as an urban area
and that corporation. It is in the process to move a file with reforms
before the transport a department. He said after q the file gets its
approval it would be then sent to the state urban development ministry,
which in turn would send the file for the approval of the Chief Minister, Mr
Digambar Kamat before sending it to the Union urban development ministry,
the sources said.
It may take some la time before the KTC may get the funds from the Centre.
However, the new KTC chairman, Mr Deepak Dhavalikar has decided to ask the
state government to release Rs 4 crore for the purchase of the 20 low-floor
buses and that the KTC would pay the government after it gets the funds
from the Centre, the sources informed. Infonning that the KTC also has a
proposal to purchase additional 20 new d buses to add to its existing
fleet, the sources said the corporation has moved a file before the finance
department to purchase 20 buses of 49-seaters for the inter-state route. The
sources said that once the new buses arrive, the existing buses which are
being plied on interstate routes would be put on local routes.
The KTC has moved another file for the 100 buses which were promised by the
Chief Minister on the floor of the state legislative assembly. However, the
file is still pending for the financial approval of the government.
(NT, 7/7/10)
