The third Mandovi bridge “ Atal Setu “ was thrown open to traffic on Tuesday. And what an opening it was. The floodgates opened to chaos and confusion with traffic police watching helplessly and failing miserably in road management.
Much against the rule of not allowing pedestrians and two-wheelers on the new bridge, there was a free flow of bikers who were egged on by the enthusiasm of covering high ground on the cable-stayed bridge. DGP Muktesh Chander had just gone on an overdrive against traffic violators, but it hardly mattered here. Motorists threw caution to the wind and vroomed on the newly laid turf, some without even wearing helmets. Worst still were bikers stopping in the middle of the bridge and taking selfies with the cabled backdrop. And soon it turned out to be a free-for-all with a sea of vehicles converging in different directions choking all allied routes.
The government may be taking pride in completing the new bridge in quick time, but the hurry behind throwing it open to traffic without completing the entire works lay exposed. It is obvious that beating the looming code of conduct was the need of the hour for the government. And Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar may have just fulfilled yet another cherished dream of his. But throwing open a bridge with incomplete works will not help the cause. In the absence of a proper traffic management plan, and with bottlenecks not factored in, the new bridge will only add to the chaos.
Amid all this confusion, the BJP seemed to have stolen the thunder. In the josh of the moment, the opening event organized atop the new bridge turned up to be an all-BJP affair. BJP flags that adorned the bridge were a cynosure of all eyes, and so was a BJP flag mounted on the car of MGP’s Deepak Pauskar, who is the chairman of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. To top it all, the bridge was opened to traffic using a BJP flag. The saffron glitz left onlookers confused even further. The BJP owned the moment, if not the bridge. This comes in stark contrast to the announcement Parrikar made on January 27 with full ‘hosh’ in the presence of Union Surface Minister Nitin Gadkari that the bridge belonged to the people of Goa.
The majestic Atul Setu remains an engineering marvel on Panaji’s landscape. It will go down as one of Parrikar’s success stories of development. Traffic chaos defeats the very purpose of the bridge and it will only rein in negativity. The government must ensure that the third Mandovi bridge stands up to the ‘be positive’ mantra of the chief minister.
