It's been 'hell on the highway' for motorists travelling the Porvorim-Panaji-GMC stretch of the highway, with traffic remaining gridlocked for hours on Monday and Tuesday. There were two successive days where serpentine queues of traffic were witnessed across the highways connecting Panaji, and motorists were left with no other option but to patiently endure the ordeal amid sweltering weather conditions.
The situation worsened because both the arms of the Atal Setu were closed for repair work as work was carried out simultaneously to catch up with the March 27 deadline. Unfortunately, the much-hyped AI-managed traffic signal at Merces had to be shut down after failing to cope with the workload. Another 4-5 days of work means that the general public will have to prolong their agony. The question is, why is there no Plan B? The lack of planning and insensitivity to the hardships of everyday citizens are clearly visible, as much as the lack of coordination among agencies on the ground. The traffic police stood helpless spectators as vehicles piled on with nowhere to go, and this time, they couldn't be faulted because the situation spiralled out of policing control.
The district collector and authorities should have been ready for the consequences of completely shutting the Atal Setu with a backup plan. One does not understand the belated hurry behind the works when the pathetic condition of the iconic bridge was known almost a year back. There was ample time when re-topping of the bridge surfaces could have been carried out by striking a symmetry between work and the convenience of commuters.
In fact, by turning down a suggestion of the traffic department to carry out the work in two phases, the district administration has shown complete disregard for citizens. Instead, the priority is to roll out a red carpet to dignitaries at any cost. This leads us to question Panaji's commitment to G-20, especially when the city continues to be in "work in progress".
The common man on the road is suffering. Office-goers are running late, and students answering exams are facing stress. Ambulances with medical emergencies are trapped. The misery is only piling on. It remains to be seen whether legislators heading in and out of the Legislative Assembly complex for the 4-day session beginning on Monday will have an easy way out.
The district administration should factor in the density of vehicles that flow via the Atal Setu and work out alternative routes cutting into villages. Moreover, ferry services should be pressed into service, leaving another option open to travellers. Also, there had to be announcements discouraging non-urgent travel along the route.
The administration cannot wash its hands off, stay a mute spectator to the plight of citizens and say we are doing what we must do. Panjimites are enduring such hardships for almost six months, dabbling between dug-up roads, pits and dust pollution. The hot mixing of a few roads in the capital city has also led to traffic snarls. Yet, there has been no planning to re-route and decongest traffic. It's G-20 all the way, and public concern is the least among the priorities for now.
