Latest news with #Navelim
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Call for affordable housing grows stronger across parties
Porvorim: Opposition and ruling parties on Monday raised concerns as state govt failed to provide affordable housing to the Goan population. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that govt is in the process of finalising land in the Pernem taluka for affordable housing. Sawant said that as per the survey conducted in 2011, few people were eligible for PM Awas Yojana, and govt will conduct a new survey under which more people will be eligible for the scheme. Under PM Awas Yojana, four crore affordable houses were provided to the citizens of India. Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar said that the housing board is providing plots and flats to Goans at market prices, and that is the reason non-Goans are buying those plots and flats. Tuenkar demanded that govt scrap the auction policy and allot plots and flats on a first-come, first-served basis. Housing minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhawalikar said that as per the policy, govt auctions housing plots and flats on two occasions, and if there are no buyers, govt can check whether they can be allotted in other ways. Tuenkar mentioned that previously the Goa Housing Board used to provide loans to the allottees as they were not in a position to buy the plots of land by getting loans from the bank, and the same should be introduced again. Opposition leader Yuri Alemao said that the chief minister, in his budget speech, announced a comprehensive housing policy to provide affordable housing for Goans, but to date, it has not materialised. Mayem MLA Premendra Shet said there is a need to amend the existing laws so that only Goans are eligible for affordable housing, as it has been observed that non-Goans are benefiting.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Locals worry as Davorlim education hub shows no progress
Margao: The ambitious education hub project at Davorlim, proposed several years ago to decongest Margao by relocating its schools, continues to languish without significant progress. This has raised concerns among locals about its future. The project involves 1.15 lakh sqm of land acquired by govt and transferred to the education department. It was highlighted nearly three years ago when authorities began demarcating boundaries to prevent encroachments. However, since that initial activity in 2022, tangible development on the site has been conspicuously absent. 'The traffic congestion around Margao schools keeps getting worse, and this project could have been the solution,' a Margao-based businessman said. The education hub was initially conceptualised during former Margao MLA Digambar Kamat's tenure when the land was acquired. In July 2022, chief minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the education portfolio, assured the assembly that govt would proceed with establishing an educational complex in response to concerns raised by Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar. At that time, several school managements in Margao expressed support for relocating to the new hub, recognising the difficulties posed by traffic congestion in Margao, particularly during school opening and closing hours. The education department indicated that proposals from various school managements for land allocation were under consideration. Tuenkar said that he held discussions with the chief minister over the issue and that the project would soon see further development. 'Relocating all the schools to Margao is a pressing need. I am sure govt will take steps towards the execution of the project,' he said. Nevertheless, as Margao continues to struggle with traffic congestion around its educational institutions, the fate of the Davorlim education hub remains uncertain. This leaves citizens wondering if this promising solution will ever materialise or join the list of stalled govt initiatives in South Goa.
