Delays cloud Margao’s hydraulic parking project

Margao: Nearly two months after the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) invited expressions of interest (EOI) for Margao’s hydraulic parking project, uncertainty over coordination with the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) continues to raise doubts about its implementation.MMC chairperson Damodar Shirodkar said the project “should happen soon,” with tenders invited after EOIs are finalised. He said work will be completed in 2-3 months by assembling prefabricated components.However, MMC has not fixed clear timelines with GSUDA, and this lack of coordination has raised concerns among stakeholders, given the project’s troubled history.The hydraulic system replaced the original Rs 10-crore reinforced cement concrete multi-level parking plan after repeated tender failures.Local businessmen have expressed frustration over the delays. “We have been hearing about different parking solutions for years now. First, the multilevel parking, now the hydraulic system, but nothing ever materialises,” said a shop owner.Opposition councillors slammed MMC for “announcement politics,” calling it a pattern of grand promises followed by silent abandonment.Margao’s parking crisis has persisted for over a decade. In 2011, Congress govt allocated Rs 3 crore as part of a “golden jubilee package” for infrastructure projects, prioritising the parking facility. Despite a foundation stone ceremony in 2016, the project stalled due to repeated tender failures.