Immediately after chief minister Pramod Sawant issued directions on Monday to cancel the scheduled public consultation on Smart City Mission, Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate said he had written to Sawant seeking a fresh date to hold a detailed discussion on the mission, which is being implemented since 2016.
Monserrate alleged that the chief minister, in collusion with Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), was deliberately trying to keep him and the local residents in the dark as part of BJP’s dirty political strategy.
“I received a letter from IPSCDL about the directions given by the chief minister about conducting a discussion on smart city projects. I immediately wrote to the chief minister and requested for a convenient date to hold this discussion,” the Panaji MLA told TOI on Wednesday.
Citing Smart City mission guidelines, Monserrate said that Sawant could not be the chairman of IPSCDL and thus could not chair any meetings. Section 3 of the Smart City Mission guidelines, Clause 1, says that the post of the chairperson can be held by the divisional commissioner, collector, municipal commissioner or chief executive of the Urban Development Authority.