Margao: Tribal welfare minister Ramesh Tawadkar on Wednesday stated that the government intends to call for tenders for the long-delayed Tribal Bhavan project before May 25. This date is observed as Prerna Din, commemorating two tribal youth who lost their lives during the tribal agitation at Balli, Quepem, in 2011.
Project Clearance and Financial Approval
The project has now received technical sanction. The proposal will be forwarded to the expenditure finance committee for approval. Once financial clearance is obtained, tenders will be invited promptly, Tawadkar informed TOI. This announcement comes six years after the project initially received administrative approval.
Cost Escalation Despite No Construction
The project, approved in October 2019, was originally estimated at Rs 87.5 crore. The revised cost now stands at Rs 97 crore, an increase of over Rs 9 crore, even though construction has not yet started and no expenditure has been incurred. The government attributes these delays to land disputes and civil litigation pending in multiple courts. These include a civil suit before the district court in Mapusa, a mutation appeal before the joint mamlatdar of Bardez, and a partition case before the inspector of land and survey records (ILSR) at Bardez, Mapusa.
Legal Hurdles and Government Action
Despite the legal challenges, the government recently decided to proceed with the project based on the opinion of the advocate general. The project has now been handed over to the project/technical cell of the tribal welfare department. A detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared, and officials stated that the tendering process is underway. A budgetary provision of Rs 15 crore has been made for the financial year 2026, a senior officer of the tribal department confirmed.
Political Context and Criticism
Nearly a year ago, Priol MLA Govind Gaude had criticized the government's failure to deliver on the long-pending Tribal Bhavan, an issue seen as one of the factors that led to him being dropped from the cabinet. He had said, Construction of a tribal bhavan is a long-pending demand of the tribals. The community gave their land for the project. The project has been stalled for the last three years. Why is there no progress? The tribal department should explain.
