Margao: Two years after it revived the proposal for a multi-level parking project at Margao, which the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) was forced to abandon following a poor response to its notices inviting tenders, the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) failed to take the project any further. All its tenders and re-tenders evoked no response.
To address the situation, the MMC is now considering a shift from the initially planned RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) structure to a hydraulically operated parking system, which it hopes will make it more attractive for contractors, besides being user-friendly.
MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar confirmed that a private agency has already given presentations on the project to the MMC’s technical team and the councillors. The proposal will be placed before the meeting of the council next week for its approval. The project will be tendered after the approval.
The multi-level parking project in Margao has been plagued by delays and setbacks since its inception over a decade ago. In 2011, Congress govt allocated Rs 3 crore to the MMC as part of a ‘golden jubilee package’ for developing key infrastructure projects in the town. The parking facility was identified as a priority project to address the growing vehicular congestion in the town’s commercial areas.
Despite laying the foundation stone in 2016, the project remained stalled due to multiple failed tender attempts. The original project cost was estimated at Rs 5.5 crore, which was later revised to Rs 6.5 crore due to escalating construction costs. The Rs 3 crore allocated funds, meanwhile, remained unutilised in the bank, accumulating interest of approximately Rs 2.5 crore over 11 years.
The project faced significant challenges in attracting contractors, primarily due to rising prices of construction materials like cement and steel, making the project financially unviable at the proposed costs. Multiple tender extensions and modifications failed to generate interest from potential contractors.
In April 2022, the MMC was compelled to consider returning the unutilised funds to govt, marking a significant setback for the town’s infrastructure development plans. The council subsequently decided to hand over the project to GSUDA for execution. The GSUDA’s involvement brought new hope for the project’s revival, but it too encountered similar challenges with failed tenders.