CCP passes Rs 107.2cr budget, prioritises new respite centre for special children

Panaji: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Tuesday approved a budget of Rs 107.2 crore for the financial year 2026-27, with a major focus on social welfare through the proposed construction of a respite centre for special children at Caranzalem. Budgetary provisions for the project have already been made as part of the corporation’s broader plans for infrastructure upgrades, revenue enhancement and cost-cutting measures.Panaji: Goa police on Tuesday moved to procure a second 15-metre fast patrol boat for coastal security at a cost of over Rs 3.4 crore, adding to a similar vessel that is already on order.The new boat will be used for day and night patrols in shallow coastal waters, with limited operations in deeper waters, and beyond visual range in special cases. It will also support interception and boarding of high-speed vessels, search and rescue missions, and special forces operations.At present, the coastal security wing has only one operational 15-metre fast interceptor boat, Chandreshwar, for patrolling Goa’s 105-km coastline.“The 15-metre fast interceptor boat was utilised to maintain patrolling along the 105km coastline, covering the jurisdiction of coastal security police stations in accordance with the weekly patrolling pattern drawn up by the police department,” a senior police officer said.Goa police had earlier procured five high-density polyethylene (HDPE) boats, with one each allotted to the coastal security police stations at Tiracol, Siolim, Panaji, harbour and Talpona.Police said the new patrol boat will have a service life of 10 years, with an average annual usage of 1,000 running hours, subject to proper maintenance. Deputy superintendent of police (central procurement cell), Rupendra Shetgaonkar, said bids have been invited for its construction. The selected bidder will also have to provide five days of training in Goa to 10 police personnel on operation and first-line maintenance.The decision comes after a security review following the Pahalgam terror attack, during which Goa police flagged a shortage of fast patrol boats. Chief minister Pramod Sawant had directed coastal police to urgently hire boats on rent for patrolling.Police also said two interceptor boats allotted to the Siolim coastal security police station — a five-tonne and a 12-tonne vessel — have remained non-functional since July 2021. “It has been decided to condemn these boats as they have crossed their optimum expected life and are economically not viable for their repairs,” a senior police officer said.Officers said stronger coastal patrolling is essential for Goa, and more patrol boats may be procured in future if the government approves the proposal.Panaji: On Wednesday, pharmacies in all govt as well as private hospitals will remain open despite the nationwide shutdown to protest against illegal e-pharmacies, the Food and Drugs Administration stated on Tuesday.Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the state will be open too, the FDA has stated.FDA director Sweta Dessai said chains of Wellness Forever and Antila Generic Medicine stores will be open throughout the state on the FDA's request to ensure there's no inconvenience caused to people. A few outlets of Apollo Pharmacy will also remain open, she said."In case of any emergency where medication is not available, the public can contact the FDA, and we will make them available," she said.Last week, the Chemists and Druggists Association of Goa announced that pharmacies would be shut on May 20 to join the nationwide shutdown to protest against the unregulated functioning of online pharmacies and predatory pricing.The association said that pharmacy counters inside hospitals will stay open and advised people to buy their regular medicines in advance to avoid any inconvenience during the closure.Panaji: Following the recent Supreme Court order, govt is preparing a comprehensive plan of action to address the issue of stray dogs in the state, said animal husbandry minister Nilkanth Halarnkar on Tuesday.“The directorate of animal husbandry and veterinary services is currently studying documents and representations linked to the issue before finalising any policy measures,” he told TOI.The issue of stray dogs has remained a contentious one in Goa, with residents raising concerns over ferocious dog attacks while animal welfare groups have called for humane and scientific population-control measures through sterilisation and vaccination programmes.Halarnkar acknowledged that while infrastructure exists for dealing with stray cattle, the state lacks adequate facilities for stray dogs. “As far as stray cattle are concerned, we have gaushalas. For dogs, we don’t have any dog pound in Goa,” he said.The state now has approximately 56,000 stray dogs. The minister said the stray dog population continued to rise despite sterilisation drives.“The animal birth control (ABC) programme in Panaji achieved complete sterilisation coverage, but stray dogs continued to reappear. Govt will soon formulate a formal strategy. We have to take a plan of action at the end of the day,” he said.The corporation also plans to undertake the beautification of Panaji Church Square.Speaking after the budget meeting, CCP commissioner Clen Madeira said that the focus this year would also be on increasing revenue collection.Citing the example of collections from the Ashtami fair held along the promenade, he said, “Last year we generated around Rs 1.2 crore in revenue from the fair. The previous year it was about Rs 1.1 crore, and before that it was roughly Rs 90 lakh. There has been a quantum jump because of improved efficiency in collections.”A major source of anticipated revenue this year is expected to come from municipal market dues and lease agreements. According to the commissioner, outstanding dues linked to the municipal market, dating back to 2003 and the second phase developed in 2007, are estimated at Rs 20-25 crore.The corporation has initiated the process of signing lease agreements with occupants and has informed them that outstanding dues will have to be cleared before agreements are finalised.“Before the elections, we had meetings with the market occupants and explained our decision. They appreciated the proposal and agreed that outstanding dues would need to be cleared from day one,” he said.The CCP is now awaiting responses regarding payment schedules and possible instalment options, which will later be placed before the council for a formal resolution.He clarified that while central govt properties are exempt from taxes, service charges are levied for waste collection and related civic services.