Panaji: The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) is set to roll out ultrasonic smart water meters across all industrial estates at a cost of Rs 30 crore. The move is expected to improve water management and boost Goa’s standing under the Centre’s Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS).
The proposal, which was approved at Thursday’s GIDC board meeting, follows a competitive bidding process in which Mumbai-based Laxmi Civil Engineering Services Private Limited emerged as the successful bidder after agreeing to reduce its original quote by nearly Rs 10 crore during negotiations.
“We plan to start the project immediately. It should happen by next month,” said GIDC chairperson Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
The project is linked to IPRS, launched by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) in 2018 to standardise and improve infrastructure across industrial parks nationwide. Under the IPRS 2.0 framework, industrial estates are assessed on parameters including water supply adequacy, infrastructure quality, environmental sustainability, safety standards and business support services.
Seven companies had shown interest in the project but after scrutiny, most firms were disqualified. Laxmi Civil Engineering initially quoted Rs 39.9 crore but during subsequent price negotiations, the firm agreed to slash its quote by Rs 9.9 crore, bringing the final project cost down to Rs 30 crore.
As part of the negotiated terms, the company has committed to a comprehensive 10-year warranty on all hardware and software components, and ensuring no price escalation during the warranty period. The project will also include a large-format dashboard and analytics display screen at the office of IDC’s general manager (engineering).
The project represents one of the largest technology-driven infrastructure upgrades undertaken across Goa’s industrial estates in recent years, with GIDC positioning it as a key step towards improving sustainability standards and attracting future industrial investment.
