Finally, Mapshekars can breathe a little easier, when going to the market, getting out of the city, or even walking over to the office or to the nearby posro. There will be ring roads, proper parking lots and pavements for people to walk on, without the fear of getting hit by a vehicle.
The new Mapusa Town Planning Scheme will mean that the town gets developed in two phases “ Downtown Mapusa as part of Phase I and Carmarkhazan and Gaunsawaddo in Phase II. For a city that seriously lacked space, there will be no paucity of space for parking, leisure and more. There will be parks, water bodies, underground utilities and other facilities that will raise the standard of this little town.
Mapusa has always been neglected, compared to Panaji, Vasco and Margao. For a town that is practically the gateway to Goa, if you’re travelling by road or even by train, the state of the city was appalling. On Friday, during the famed market day, the haphazard organization was clear for all to see. Rampant and unplanned construction hasn’t helped either.
The city has most of its residents living on the hill with residential areas skirting it. But, it has spread over the last decade or so, extending outwards. It will continue to expand and there has to be procedures in place to anticipate the rate of growth and prepare for it. There are many areas in Mapusa, even now, where development that defies logic is eating into green spaces. This has to be curbed. The sewerage system too needs change, this will again be a massive job.
The bus stand will need to be moved. It is not at the edge of the city anymore, but more within it as the boundaries spread. Just like Margao bus stand was shifted out all those years ago and Panaji too, the Mapusa bus stand has to move to ease public transport facilities. The plan provides for parking lots and this is a must. Right now, there are very few places in which to park and even these are reduced in size with the large amounts of taxis, rickshaws and pilot ridden bikes that take up space. The market needs to be revamped and overhauled completely. This will take time and will perhaps be an inconvenience for a bit, but patience is always necessary in the move towards harmony.
A look at Patto in Panaji will give Mapshekars an idea of Mapusa could look like. It can certainly have bigger roads and better facilities. But caution needs to be exercised too. Around 2009, the proposed ODP showed large amounts of spaces being converted to commercial zones. Many of those spaces included spaces used for parking and even burial spaces. Care needs to be taken to ensure that those ‘errors’ are not replicated.
If planners can start from the ground up and rebuild parts of this city, as well as revamp others, there is no telling what Mapusa can become. There is scope for it to become a model city. It certainly has the space and potential.
