Just a few days of rainfall, and Panaji with a halo of a smart city over it is feeling the monsoon jitters once again. A city that is supposed to be a shining example lay completely crumbled with no semblance of any smartness in planning or infrastructure.
Roads have been submerged making navigation difficult for motorists, rainwater has entered homes and shops causing loss of property, the low lying areas are once again flooded, and pools of water have surfaced yet again. Roads at Patto Plaza, 18th June Road and Dayanand Bandodkar Road have been submerged too, and this year it has been even worse with water swell rising beyond the normal limits. Flooding in the capital city is nothing new, it's been happening for over 40 years. What is new are the set of promises made by successive mayors, corporators and legislators to remedy situations and make people's lives easier. Promises that have failed.
On Wednesday, a part of a Portuguese-era building collapsed near Geeta Bakery, Panaji, and there is a fear that the rest of the structure may come down any moment. Last monsoon, a part of an ancient building near Azad Maidan that housed the famous Prakash Lodge collapsed. Crumbling heritage structures will only hurt the identity of a city that stands as an icon of Goa's heritage. The historic pre-liberation structures are under threat, and which is why there is a need to urgently undertake a structural stability test of all old buildings in the city. While several new high-rises are on the horizon, the CCP cannot ignore these old structures which define the identity of the capital city.
Speaking of infrastructural development and Panaji boasts of the cable-stayed Atal Sethu bridge, often billed as an engineering marvel. Sadly, the many potholes that have surfaced on the bridge top, and the signature lamposts which have been coming down like nine pins doesn't bode well for the world-class transformation that is promised.
It pains to see the neglect of the capital city despite the promise of a smart city and the blueprint it has. The Holistic Master Plan drawn in 2013 has a clear goal of transforming Panaji into a world-class, environmentally sustainable and liveable city for all while preserving its heritage, cultural diversity and ecosystem through community participation, innovation and smart solutions. Among the five thematic interventions proposed were, raising smart and sustainable infrastructure to improve the basic quality of life, conserving and showcasing heritage and culture to enhance the image of the city and planning to improve the character of public areas.
The CCP has admitted there were issues regarding drains at Patto Plaza, but what about the other areas which continue to remain flooded adding to the misery of Ponjekars? It is a shame that a strong political line-up spearheaded by the BJP hasn't done much to alleviate the monsoon blues of ordinary citizens, except blame the tides and the faulty drainage systems. The picture of a flooded smart city is not only a pain to its people but also an embarrassment to the entire State.
