Govt approves 25,000 sqm land for long-delayed project
PANAJI
Finally, after initially planning it and even commencing construction work at Patto, then abandoning the idea and scouting for a site at Porvorim, the State government has finally decided to build the 'Prashashan Stambh', touted to be the tallest building in the State, at Chimbel on land where an IT park was abandoned following protests a few years ago.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said his cabinet on Wednesday approved the transfer of a parcel of 25,000 square metres of the Chimbel IT Department's land to the General Administration Department (GAD) for the construction of the Prashashan Stambh (Administration Tower) there.
Sawant, who was addressing the media after Wednesday's cabinet meeting, also said that the transfer of another parcel of 6,000-odd square metres of this IT Department land in Chimbel was approved by the Cabinet to Goa Tourism to develop tourism-related facilities.
The Administrative Tower (Prashashan Stambh) has for long been touted as one going to be the tallest edifice in the State — 75 metres tall with 15 floors and estimated to cost over Rs 300 crore.
Initially planned at Patto opposite the Pariyathan Bhavan along the southern flank of the Ourem Creek in the city, the government changed its mind citing the congestion it would cause once completed. Midway into the construction, with slabs for two–three floors already cast, the project was truncated into a mini-convention centre.
Interestingly, the Sawant cabinet in February approved handing over the Patto project to a private party on a revenue-sharing basis.
1.6 lakh sq m for Veterinary College
The Sawant-led cabinet on Wednesday also approved the transfer of 60,000 square metres of land of the Animal Husbandry Department at Curti for the upcoming Goa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
In another cabinet decision, another one lakh square metres at the Kodar farm of the Agriculture Department was also transferred to the Goa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, making it a total of 1.6 lakh square metres in two different locations for the college, which Sawant has said will go onstream in the upcoming academic year, subject to approvals from the Veterinary Council and Goa University.
In yet another decision, the cabinet granted its final approval to the construction of the Tertiary Care Cancer Centre at the Goa Medical College and Hospital campus in Bambolim, at an approximate cost of Rs 310 crore.
