Now that the elections are done and dusted and the BJP-led government had its much sought-after stability, it’s time Chief Minister Pramod Sawant gets down to work immediately on the more pressing issues. The endless pre-election debate over chasing casinos out of Mandovi can wait for now. With rains scheduled to descend a few days from now, Panaji is staring at monsoon flooding of a greater magnitude. Drainages and water outlets have not been cleared and there has been no plan in place either. With the political churn that the State witnessed, monsoon preparedness has been completely forgotten on the premise of model code of conduct.
For a party which is boasting of converting Panaji into a smart city, flood management should have been one of the priorities. The scars of road-digging and cable-laying could only make it worse this time around. The capital city has a history of flooding and this cannot be taken for granted. It’s not only about clearing cross-drainages, there’s a lot of preparatory work involved.
Lest we forget, the capital city was literally submerged thrice last year with flooding being witnessed on June 20, June 28 and July 6. Streets remain flooded for long hours, and in some places even a couple of days. Knee-deep water is seen gushing into low-lying residential houses. The city landscape’s inability to quickly drain off the excess water is well known, so also the reverse flow of water from the Mandovi.
The St Inez creek continues to be an eyesore with rainwater overflowing and the sewage-mixed water making its way into houses and raising a health scare. Mala is another traditional flood-prone area. The 18th June road inundates every year with water entering into shops and establishments. The Dayanand Bandodkar road facing the river is another trouble spot.
Disaster management and environment has been some of the key focus areas of the BJP in their successive manifestos for the capital city. But nothing has changed over the years. Unabated flooding is witnessed every monsoon bringing life to a complete standstill and causing loss of property to the tune of lakhs of rupees.
Flood management plans should have been ready by now and could have been put into effect on a war footing after the poll code ceases. Why did the administration not move earlier and hold informal meetings? The code of conduct doesn’t stop the government from planning in case of emergency situations. And there’s no harm in making a requisition to the Election Commission to that effect.
While the election code was in force, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant faced flak for breaching the election code and meeting PWD engineers and issuing work orders. There is also a complaint against the chief minister for allegedly holding a meeting with high-ranking police officers during the election process. Why were broad plans not put on paper over disaster management? Was this not a priority? Or is the administration going to wait endlessly for a monsoon swell to sink the city and then rue the shortage of time for any damage control? There is no point talking big about turning Panaji into a smart city when the picture remains grim every passing year.
