Panaji Councillor Jack Sukhija Raises Concerns Over Environmentally Damaging Miramar Beachfront Project

Calls for Review of Smart City Works

~ The Miramar pathway worth crores of rupees is already crumbling, while the gazebos are rusted and abandoned, Jack said, describing the investment in the project as a write-off. 

Goa Khabar: Panaji Councillor Jack Sukhija has called on the Goa government to review the crumbling facade of the Miramar beachfront development project undertaken under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) and remove the existing environmentally damaging structures, citing “wasteful expenditure.”

He urged that future interventions along Goa’s beaches prioritise environmental protection over extensive concretisation, alleging that the project had deviated from its original objective of coastal protection and resulted in wasteful public expenditure.

Addressing the media at Miramar beach recently, Jack, along with AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik and prominent city residents, namely, social activist Patricia Pinto, architect Amita Kanekar and entrepreneur Aakash Madgavkar, Jack said, that the project, implemented through the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), had replaced natural coastal features with concrete structures that have deteriorated within a few years of completion.

According to Jack, the project, budgeted at approximately ₹12.8 crore to ₹13 crore, was originally intended to strengthen the beach against erosion, shifting sand and strong coastal winds.

“The beach faced strong winds, shifting sand, and erosion, and the funds were meant to address that. Somewhere along the way, in the back-and-forth of budgeting and execution, that original intent was lost,” he said.

He alleged that instead of strengthening the beach’s natural ecosystem, the project resulted in the construction of concrete pathways and gazebos that have already deteriorated.

“What actually got built were concrete structures: a pathway that, within five years, is already falling apart, and gazebos that are now rusted and abandoned. The entire investment is effectively a write-off.”

He said Miramar’s sand dunes and native vegetation had long served as the beach’s natural defence against erosion and should have been preserved. Calling for a rethink of coastal infrastructure, Jack said that beaches should be developed with minimal intervention and only essential public amenities. He also claimed the present layout posed safety concerns and compared it to the nearby mangrove boardwalk project, which he said suffered from poor maintenance despite its ecological value.

Speaking to the media at the briefing, Panaji social activist, Pinto, appealed to Smart City officials to dismantle the damaged Miramar walkway. “You have wasted money, but please dismantle it. We want our sand back. This is a concrete structure.,” she said.  “We seem to be in love with concrete and we don’t know where to use it. Now we are coming and putting it on our beaches. I think this has to stop,” Pinto added. 

The Councillor said public attention had often been drawn to social issues only after local residents and the media highlighted their concerns. “For three years, the Campal football ground  issue went unnoticed. It was only when the media picked it up along with the concern of the citizens that we were able to bring it forward and push toward a resolution. This is what happens when citizens raise their voice; they bring the issue into the open in search of a solution,” Jack said.