Panaji: The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has written to the Corporation of the City of Panaji to take over the projects executed under the smart city mission. However, since CCP does not have technical expertise or the funding to ensure structural maintenance, there are concerns about the future of these projects.In some cases, IPSCDL itself has said that Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) may be directed to maintain the projects and repair any structural components if required through their contractor until the five year defect liability period is over.IPSCDL has asked CCP to taking over projects executed under AMRUT 1.0 and the Smart Cities Mission. Among the projects that are being handed over are the pedestrian arch bridge over the St. Inez Creek near the ESG building, the open space at Altinho, the Mandovi promenade, the pedestrian bridge linking Central Library to Fontainhas and a few more projects.CCP officials along with IPSCDL engineers have conducted a site inspection of the projects being handed over and have already identified missing electrical fixtures, pending water and electricity bills, damaged masonry structures and compound walls, water logging, missing dustbins, debris left behind after construction, and poor maintenance.CCP commissioner Clen Madeira in a note to corporators said that CCP does not have the technical expertise to do structural maintenance of bridges. He recommended that GSIDC could be directed to maintain projects and also repair any structural components through contractors for five years or till the defect liability period is over.“These smart city projects, whether we should accept the handover or not is one aspect, but if we take them up, then maintenance is a problem and we should request the govt to hand over the maintenance to GSIDC or another agency,” said corporator Shubham Chodankar. “It would not be possible for us to do it.”
