ublic dissatisfaction with the Smart City project in Panjim, and the fears of its extension to Margao, have reached a peak as residents and activists criticize its poor planning, lack of coordination, and inadequate execution. Their grievances highlight a broader issue of governance and accountability, impacting both urban development and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Former CCP councillor Patricia Pinto believes the Smart City project is a terrible failure on various levels. “They're damaging stormwater drains while working on sewage systems, causing flooding everywhere. Three people died after falling into trenches, but were their families compensated? No, nobody cared. Cars and scooters were damaged, and people had to pay for repairs. Who will compensate them? Water entered shops and houses, damaging goods. Who will pay for that? The stagnation around the court building in Margao is a breeding ground for disease. Who's responsible? In the end, we're left with nothing but increased house taxes. What facilities are we getting in return?"
Veteran activist and Margao local Jose Maria Miranda shared similar frustrations regarding Panjim's Smart City project, attributing the chaos to poor planning and execution. "I've experienced it firsthand - roads are congested, with no signs or U-turns, forcing drivers to take lengthy detours. The city's infrastructure is in shambles, with damaged stormwater drains and sewage systems causing flooding everywhere. I hope Margao avoids the same fate. Margao's development is stagnant, with limited entries and exits, and its infrastructure is crumbling. Roads are worn out, drains are clogged, and footpaths are occupied by vendors. The authorities are quick to target small vendors like coconut sellers, but ignore bigger issues like encroachments, waste management, and illegal construction. The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) and local councillors need to be held accountable for the mess. Unfortunately, most councillors prioritise their own interests over the town’s needs, and the few who want to make a difference are hindered by the system. We urgently need designated waste disposal sites, efficient garbage collection, and a comprehensive development plan that prioritizes the needs of citizens. Currently, the municipality only focuses on cleaning drains, but even that is done poorly."
Architect Armino Ribeiro, a resident of Panjim, described the lack of coordination among the departments involved in the Smart City project. "Different teams of workers dig up roads without coordinating with each other, damaging essential services like water pipelines, electric lines, and sewage systems. One team leaves, and another team comes, often damaging previous repairs. It's a never-ending cycle. For example, in Fontainhas, near my sister-in-law's house, they dug up a road for a sewage line, but the sewage line was above the stormwater drain level, rendering the stormwater drain ineffective. When I brought this to their attention, engineers came, scratched their heads, and proposed diverting water to another point to reduce the load on the stormwater drain. But this is just a band-aid solution. The root problem is the complete lack of coordination between departments. Each department head or minister works in isolation, treating their domain as their personal kingdom."
Patricio Pinto also criticised the lack of accountability and planning in the Smart City project. " It's a centrally sponsored scheme, but the Urban Minister, chief secretary, and committees formed are not taking responsibility. The first CEO, one Mr Chaudhary, disappeared with a large amount of money - and an FIR was filed, but nobody can find him. It's shocking that he was able to vanish without a trace, and nobody is being held accountable. I personally experienced the chaos firsthand outside my house in Campal, where I stopped some workers from digging up the road without a plan. They were trying to locate switch chambers, but they didn't have any plans or coordinates. I demanded to see the person in charge, and after some back-and-forth, the mayor and Smart City officials finally sent an engineer from the sewage department. She brought an old plan, but it was clear that they hadn't done their due diligence. They didn't have a comprehensive plan, and they were just digging randomly. Met with opposition from the neighbourhood, they did not return, and thanks to that, Campal didn’t face any flooding. Consultants are being paid 7-8% of the work, but they're not doing their job. A German company, GIZ, has been recently hired to survey the underground drains, which have already been damaged. There's no accountability from top to bottom. Are the Urban Minister, Vishwajit Rane, or our MP, Shripad Naik, aware of what is happening here?"
Nilesh Salkar added that the government departments involved in the Smart City project lack the necessary expertise to create a comprehensive plan and are not using modern planning tools and technologies. "The three E's - Engineering, Execution, and Enforcement - are essential for any planning project to be successful. But in this case, the engineering and design are flawed, the execution is botched, and there's no enforcement mechanism in place to ensure that the project is completed as per the plans. Take the example of a simple road project. You would think that the curb stone along the road would be level and consistent, but no, in Goa, that's not the case. If you measure a 100-metre distance, you'll find six different levels of curb stones! In Goa, the government has engaged project management consultants who then hire architects and engineers, creating a lack of checks and balances. The project management consultants are given a free hand to do as they please, without any oversight or supervision. The result is a massive waste of resources, with thousands of crores of public money going down the drain. The government departments are only focused on licensing and approving projects, without any consideration for the engineering and design aspects."
Ribeiro highlighted the issues with the PWD's handling of the project. "The work that was done in the first place was subpar, and that's what has led us to this point. It's situations like these that make me question the competence of the PWD. They seem to be completely disorganised, with each division doing its own thing without knowing what the others are doing, and there's no one officer in charge who can take responsibility for the overall project. By the time they bring in Sanjit (Rodrigues), who's normally brought in to sort out messes, he is powerless to fix anything as the fundamentals are wrong."
Salkar interjected, noting the lack of continuity due to the frequent transfer of PWD engineers and the absence of a master plan. "There is no master plan to show the final outcome, and the government project seems to be shrouded in secrecy. Ideally, a master plan should have been created and discussed with the public, incorporating their suggestions and feedback."
Jose Maria Miranda said that Goa was stuck in a vicious cycle, where politicians prioritize their party interests over public needs. "Politicians go house-to-house seeking votes during election time, but often forget their promises and responsibilities once they're elected. The people also forget to hold them accountable. Even Opposition groups are neglected, like Margao, which suffered due to political discrimination. For years, its MLA was from the opposition party, so the ruling party neglected the constituency, leaving it devoid of development. Heritage houses are another example, where owners struggle to maintain them due to lack of support from the government. Some owners are abroad, while others lack the means to restore these historic buildings, which are now crumbling. The government shows no interest in preserving our cultural heritage, even though it's a vital part of our identity. The municipality itself is a prime example, with the old building in the Old Market now privately owned, and no one willing to take responsibility for its maintenance."
Nilesh Salkar added to this, saying, "Authorities often claim they don't have the budget for maintenance, but it's up to political leaders to ensure provisions are made in the budgets. They need to propose funds for maintenance, just like they do for new projects."
It's unfortunate that despite initial stakeholder engagements and suggestions, little feedback is sought during the execution phase of projects like Smart City. Public participation is a continuous process, not a one-time exercise. This feedback loop is vital to prevent projects from taking on a life of their own, disconnected from the people they're intended to serve. Patricia Pinto agrees. " Unfortunately, this isn't happening whether it's planning at the village level, or planning in a ‘Smart City’. Basically, the government has failed - when something fails at the top, everything fails below. It's like the 'Maharaja mentality': 'I know what's best, I'll do it, and I don't have to listen to you.' It's become a power game where nobody is really interested in what's happening to anyone on the streets. The attitude is that they don't even engage with people anymore. You ask for meetings, but you're not even called for meetings."
Salkar blamed the lack of public engagement on aggressive activism. "Aggressive activism does not offer any solutions, and once activists push the government to halt work, the government stops including and engaging the public in these matters," he said.
Pinto countered, "But why is there aggressive activism in the first place? It's because the government doesn't listen and instead forces people to take a stand. She gave the example of the ‘Yog Setu’ bridge and walkway built along the River Mandovi in Campal last year. "Before the project began, we submitted a letter to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) objecting to the permission granted, as it violated an NGT order. The order stipulated that no permission could be granted until the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) was finalised. Despite this, they proceeded with the work. We filed a complaint on January 5, 2023, but construction continued unabated. We've been pursuing the matter in the NGT, and now, GCZMA has scheduled an inspection for tomorrow regarding our complaint, which is ironic since the walkway has already been completed. It's perplexing to know how to proceed - should we demand that the work be stopped or take some other course of action."
Ribeiro criticized the bureaucratic inefficiency in planning and execution. "The government randomly grants permissions without considering the impact on infrastructure. Nobody is thinking about the loading capacity and stress on resources. The Planning and Development Authority (PDA) passes the buck, saying it's not their concern. The municipality deflects responsibility, saying the Smart City project has a plan in place. But when asked what they've been doing, they claim they're not involved since the project includes portions of the village. Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) says they've not been consulted or informed. It's a classic case of bureaucratic passing-the-buck."
Patricia Pinto also raised concerns about amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act. "The Town and Country Planning Act has been amended under Section 39A, impacting both Regional Plans and Outline Development Plans (ODPs). The Town and Country Planning Department, under the Minister's instructions, has been directed to allow zone changes without permitting objections. This raises questions about the removal of the objection clause. Are we merely spectators, limited to suggestions but denied the right to object? This contradicts the fundamental principles of town planning, which have always encouraged objections and suggestions."
Salkar said he supports the controversial amendment but stressed the need for proper implementation. "I believe it's an excellent law, as it addresses issues where properties have been wrongly seized from good families due to misinterpretations. However, my concern lies in the execution of this Act. We suggested creating a set of transparent guidelines, a checklist of sorts, to ensure fair and consistent application," he said.
Going back to the civic problems plaguing Margao, Miranda said, “I consider two issues to be extremely pressing: garbage management, which has been a long-standing problem even though wet garbage is being sent to Cacora now. The second is traffic congestion, which is directly affecting people's daily lives,” he said.
Salkar attributed these issues to short sighted planning. “During the late 80s and early 90s, the planning process in city centres was flawed, as it increased Floor Space Index (FSI) in areas that were already congested. This approach was contrary to established urban planning principles, which prioritise decongestion and sustainable development. In hindsight, policies should have focused on creating downtown areas outside city centres with higher FSI, wider roads, better sewage facilities,” he pointed out.
What’s worse is that new buildings are still coming up in Margao, even in areas like Borda, with no provisions for parking, Miranda said.
While Salkar opined that such buildings without parking are not ‘saleable’, Ribeiro pointed out that such buildings are turning into rental properties. “These rental properties are gradually deteriorating into urban slums. This is evident in areas like Panjim, where numerous buildings have fallen into disrepair due to issues like lack of parking, absent or disputed titles, and neglect,” he pointed out.
“Don’t make the real estate industry the whipping boy for all our problems. The garbage issue isn't a result of real estate development, but rather a consequence of people's mindset and lack of civic responsibility. Similarly, the parking problem isn't solely the fault of builders or developers, but also a result of inadequate urban planning and management,” countered Salkar.
“How can we increase FSI and FAR without making arrangements for garbage handling, parking, sewage and water, among other utilities?
We pay various taxes, including house tax, road tax, commercial tax, and others. Business owners pay additional taxes, like excise and GST. The money we pay in taxes should translate to benefits for us, the citizens. There needs to be accountability to ensure that development projects improve people's lives, rather than harm them. We need a functional accountability mechanism to guarantee that our tax money is utilised effectively and ethically. What is the solution to this?
“We need to dismantle the system of advisory committees, which often serve as a way for individuals to evade responsibility. These committees can be used to deflect accountability, with individuals claiming that the committee approved a decision, thereby washing their hands of responsibility. Instead, we need to hold individuals accountable from start to finish, whether they're bureaucrats or politicians. If they're transferred or leave a project, there must be a thorough handover, with the next person accepting responsibility and liability for the actions of their predecessor. Public activism should be encouraged, and the courts should act swiftly to hold individuals accountable. This would be an essential check and balance in our system, ensuring that those in power
are held responsible for their actions,” said Ribeiro.