TNN, Dec 1, 2010,
PANAJI: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has spent most of its funds amounting to a few crores of rupees on its wards in Caranzalem, Taleigao and Bhatulem, while cancelling development works in Panaji city.
Documents procured under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and available with TOI state that CCP had sanctioned almost 4.12 crore for development works in its jurisdiction for this financial year.
The documents further reveal that 92 works had been tendered in different wards in its jurisdiction, however, the work orders for only 28 of the works had been issued.
The works in Panaji which have been cancelled include beautification works around the city, construction of a footpath at Cortin, repairs of the Panaji Municipal Library at St Inez, fixing play equipment for children and benches in a garden at Miramar.
The works which got the CCP`s sanction include beautification works, improvement of road widening and construction of pathways at Caranzalem and development of footpaths at Bhatulem.
"There is a clear divide shown when it comes to choosing which places to develop. There has been a total bias shown by this ruling panel in favour of Taleigao, while Panaji has been neglected," opposition corporator in the BJP panel, Menino da Cruz said.
"The CCP gains 80% of its taxes from Panaji, and 20% from Taleigao. Panaji has not benefited at all. When we raised this matter with the CCP administration recently, and questioned what happened to the funds sanctioned for this year, we were told that the funds has been exhausted," da Cruz said.
The RTI documents, dated November 10, 2010, reveal that CCP issued four tender notices for various development works in its jurisdiction. However, only one tender notice -- Notice No. 2/2010 -- has seen all its proceedings completed and work orders for 32 development works have been issued.
The sum that the CCP has spent on these particular works amounts to almost 1 crore. A few of the works cover Ribandar and Panaji, while the rest are in Bhatulem and places in Caranzalem and Taleigao.
In reply to the RTI queries, CCP states that it had it reasons for cancelling three tender notices.
"As regards other notices, no work orders have yet been issued. All these works have been tendered within the range of two months and doubts have been raised on the ability of the technical section to monitor and supervise the execution of these works which were expected to be started and completed more or less within the same time," CCP commissioner Elvis Gomes, stated in the reply.
"During the discussion held with the mayor, it has emerged that the technical section has not carried out a proper evaluation; in the first instance, of requirement of these works and also their ability to oversee the execution of these works. More over, the total liability on the CCP towards these works ranges to around 4 crore and earmarking an expenditure of such an amount in the first two months of the year is not a sound decision since expenditure requires to be spread out to meet all contingencies around the year. This rush of expenditure in the first two months itself may also result in audit observations and it is proper to avoid such an eventuality," the commissioner stated.
Some ruling panel corporators have themselves been left out in the cold and have alleged that former chairperson of CCP`s standing committee and their colleague, Uday Madkaikar, had sanctioned works worth 1 crore in his ward in Bhatulem. When contacted, Madkaikar denied this.
In July mayor Carolina Po took over as chairperson of the standing committee after Madkaikar resigned.
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