Ponda: With over 98% work carried out, Ponda’s Golden Jubilee project is finally nearing completion after 15 years. In 2011, Congress govt had sanctioned Rs 2 crore to each constituency for various projects to commemorate the golden jubilee year of Goa’s Liberation. In Ponda, a multi-storey commercial complex has been constructed that will be operated by Ponda Municipal Council (PMC).Contractor Sameer Kinlekar told TOI that only the installation of the diesel pump for firefighting is pending, and the sprinklers have been fixed. PMC chairperson Virendra Dhavalikar said the project could be inaugurated in the month of Shravan.A foundation stone for the project was laid on Dec 19, 2011, by then minister Ravi Naik. After his defeat in the 2012 assembly elections, another foundation stone was laid on May 19, 2014, by then PWD minister Ramkrishna “Sudin” Dhavalikar. However, the work did not get momentum. Only the RCC structure of the project was completed by 2021.On June 15, 2021, PMC resolved to change the contractor and re-tender the remaining work. Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) then allotted the pending work to a new contractor, Sameer Kinlekar, for Rs 3.3 crore in 2024.After Kinlekar took up the project, the work got momentum. The project work was stopped in 2022 as contractor Sameer Vachasundar said he could not afford the work because of the old Goa schedule of rates (GSR) and had sought a revision as per the new GSR.
The multi-storey commercial complex will be operated by Ponda Municipal Council
The multi-storey commercial complex will be operated by Ponda Municipal Council
