Boardwalk offers no value, CCP will dismantle it: Mayor

Panaji: Once lauded by the Niti Aayog for showcasing sustainable urban development and wetland conservation, the Mangrove Boardwalk at Patto no longer holds any value for the state capital, said Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) mayor Rohit Monserrate.

He said on Thursday that the CCP will go ahead and dismantle the wooden structure.“Fixing the boardwalk will be of no value. There are a lot of illegal activities happening there. It was becoming a health and safety issue, and we have decided to remove it. Whatever is well-maintained will remain. For us, there is no value in keeping it,” Monserrate said.The Rs 2.5 crore mangrove boardwalk behind the central library was built by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd as part of the Smart City Mission.

However, once built, the project fell into disarray and a fire partially destroyed the structure.“If it is not in public interest, then we will remove it. We have not got the handover for many of these things. We cannot put corporation money into these projects because it has not been given to us,” said Monserrate.The mayor also said that the city is ready for the monsoons, with just 10% of pre-monsoon work awaiting completion. Monserrate conducted a late-night inspection at Dona Paula along with the Panaji police station team to assess concerns relating to public spaces and overall civic upkeep.