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Under the Panaji Smart City initiative, the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (GSIDC) looks forward to working towards improving the quality of life of the people by developing roads, bridges and other sectors of the city in line with its heritage. The Corporation also intends to create awareness about its brand across India and internationally, says Dr Pramod Sawant, Chairman, GSIDC, in an interaction with Manish Arora of Elets News Network (ENN). 

Can you tell something about GSIDC and its role in the Smart City Mission?

The Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (GSIDC) is a wholly-owned government entity of the Government of Goa, registered under the Companies Act 1956 with the Registrar of Companies, Panaji.

GSIDC as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is working for speedy implementation of all infrastructure projects in roads, bridges, flyovers, traffic management, bus stands, water supply augmentation, hospitals, tourism- related projects, etc., thus creating awareness about brand “GSIDC” across India and globally. GSIDC as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is working for speedy implementation of all infrastructure projects in roads, bridges, flyovers, traffic management, bus stands, water supply augmentation, hospitals, tourism- related projects, etc., thus creating awareness about brand “GSIDC” across India and globally.

Its mandate is to serve the needs of public by commissioning infrastructure projects merging with the ambiance of Goan architecture and being eco-friendly at the same time. It also serves to achieve hallmark in the rapid qualitative design and construction of infrastructure projects, mainly in roads, bridges and building sectors.

GSIDC, through the smart city initiative, envisages a vision to emphasise on overall development of Panaji city and in turn enhancing the quality of life of Goans.

Dr Pramod Sawant
Chairman, GSIDC

What is the first thing that comes to your mind while talking about the Smart Cities Mission?

The Smart Cities Mission launched by the Government of India is for uplift of people’s life in terms of access to good infrastructure, roads, lights, clean water, enhanced transportation and better medical facilities. The goal of building a smart city is to use technology to improve the efficiency of services and meet residents’ needs. In this Mission, we are working towards upgrading the facilities available in the city, by making services available to the people on demand, as and when required – just in a “smart way”.

The sectors that have been developing smart city technology include government services, transport and traffic management, energy, healthcare, water, innovative urban agriculture and waste management. Smart city applications are developed with the goal of improving the management of urban woes and allowing for real-time responses to challenges.

“GSIDC as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is working for speedy implementation of all infrastructure projects in roads, bridges, flyovers, traffic management, water supply augmentation, tourism-related projects, etc., thus creating awareness about brand ‘GSIDC’ across India and globally”

Could you recount for us some of the milestones achieved by GSIDC in terms of development in Goa?

Keeping in sync with the Corporation’s uncompromising commitment to the holistic development of the state of Goa and the principles of inclusive growth, GSIDC, has over the last 10 years completed over 200 projects with an average of 20 projects a year which includes roads and bridges, hospitals, schools, administrative infrastructure, stadia and more.

Some of the major on-going projects that could be listed are construction of new Mandovi bridge, 500-bedded District Hospital at Margao, design and construction of bridge connecting Keri to Tiracol, MSW Plant at North Goa and Rua de Ourem bridge to name a few. Besides, execution of IFFI 2014 works, ESG Complex Panaji, Inox, over 200 schools across the state, Ravindra Bhavan, South Goa Collectorate and bridges all over the state are some of the various projects that have been completed by GSIDC.

How do you create awareness among different people about Smart Cities Mission? 

We have been regularly in touch with the people of Panaji through extensive consultation process for their views on city development, upgradation plan and implementation strategy. We have rolled out various dedicated social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter for city consultation including other citywide outreach activities.

We have been regularly consulting the people of Panaji for the advancement of this mission having kept their needs in mind and accordingly designing the proposed interventions for them

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