BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: Despite the incomplete nature of the proposed Botanical garden at Selaulim, the government charges an entrance fee from its visitors.
The fees are charged to reduce the expenditure to be incurred to complete the work of this garden in three phases. This peeved Sanguem MLA Vasudev Gaonkar who put forth two demands.
Firstly, to abolish the fee imposed on visitors and to increase the proposed expenditure on this garden.
While the Minister for Forests Philip Neri Rodrigues caved into to the demand on the abolition of the fee, he was not very forthcoming on scaling up the expenditure on this proposed garden.
While it was Gaonkar's contention that an expenditure of Rs 15 crores was proposed on this Botanical garden at Selaulim, Rodrigues reply pegged the proposed expenditure for all three phases at Rs 8 crores, spread over three years.
" We will try to find out as to why the expenditure has been reduced," said Rodrigues. Gaonkar pointed out to the futility and absurdity of the fees charged even when the project is yet to be completed. According to Rodrigues, the fees were charged on a trial basis by the Forest Corporation.
