Onus on chief officers to complete projects, says Rane

Panaji: Minister for urban development Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday warned that chief officers of municipalities will be held accountable for failing to implement projects in time.
He announced that the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has constituted a committee for project execution and management. He said the panel’s main objective is to ensure that the projects are completed within a certain timeframe.
Rane said the aim is to bring accountability and ensure that projects do not get derailed. “The chief officers of the municipalities will be held accountable for the time-bound implementation of projects in coordination with the DMA and GSUDA (Goa State Urban Development Agency),” he said.
The minister further said that action will be taken against the chief officers if they do not comply with the directions issued by the DMA and the ministry of urban development. He said that as the chief officers are responsible for the proper utilisation of funds, they also need to take the respective chairpersons and councillors into confidence.
On the question of releasing funds to the municipal bodies, Rane said that money will not be released unless the annual audit is completed. On this a circular will be issued soon, he said. “The chief officers, therefore, need to ensure that the guidelines issued by the DMA are strictly implemented and enforced.”
Meanwhile, in his capacity as the health minister, Rane said that work is under way on the State Cancer Institute in the Super Specialty Block.
He said the project’s progress is being monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. “By way of a tripartite agreement between the Government of India, Tata Memorial Hospital, and the Government of Goa, patients in the state will now have access to cutting-edge infrastructure and cancer treatment,” Rane said in a tweet. “This will eliminate the need to travel outside Goa for treatment.”