After Congress alleges corruption in Smart City, Goa CM inspects work at night

Panaji, May 23 A day after Congress dared Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to come to the Goa capital to review the 'Smart City' project, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday night inspected the work and said that work will not be paused, but will continue in rainy season.

"After taking a review meeting, we have decided to continue the work even in rainy season and complete it as soon as possible, so in October there will be no dust seen in city," Sawant told reporters.

He said that workforce has been summoned again and the work will start in full swing. "We have changed our decision of taking pause. Now we will continue all types of work and construct concrete roads in rainy season," he said.

According to him, it will be good to work in rainy season, so they can work swiftly act if any flooding or problems are seen.

The Panaji city has been dug up to lay a new sewerage network, along with to create new storm water drains, underground utility lines and shift power lines underground.

"There will be no work pending to do in October. All works will be done in monsoon, even constructing a concrete road. I know that people are facing problems, hence will try to complete work in monsoon itself," Sawant said.

Congress in Goa on Monday had suggested the BJP's central leader to have 'Padyatra' in Panaji to know about the substandard work done, and the corruption involved in the project.

Congress leader Amarnath Panjikar had said that they are happy that their movement against corruption in Smart City work forced the Central government to send a minister to check it.

"We have come to know that Union Minister for Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri has come to take a review of Smart City projects, as we have exposed the scams and mismanagement of this work. I hope that he will not only sit in air-conditioned rooms and hold meetings, but will come out and have 'Padyatra' in Panaji city to have a real review," Panjikar said.

"We are happy that he has come to take a review and will do something to lessen the sufferings of people. I hope he will have 'Padyatra' along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, other ministers and officers concerned to know the problems faced due to smart city work. Only then will he come to know about corruption and sub-standard work done while carrying out work on the Smart City," he added.

He had said that the Panaji Smart City project has become Mission Total Commission, which was exposed by the Congress.

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