MARGAO
The Congress has slammed Margao MLA Digambar Kamat for his failure to address the traffic congestion in the commercial capital, despite the Congress party having bestowed upon him the position of chief minister for five years.
Congress leader Savio Coutinho questioned whether Kamat "would need to become prime minister to lift the city out of the mess he has left Margao in due to his negligence and indecisiveness".
Coutinho criticised the Margao MLA for his failure to complete the ring road, which was planned back in the late 1980s.
"Buildings and illegal encroachments have been permitted with the MLA's blessings, and now the MLA is thinking of constructing a flyover bridge from Victor Hospital to Comba railway crossing," Coutinho charged.
He said the ring road, running parallel to the railway track, was planned with the intention of connecting all the internal roads to this ring road, which would be an important entry and exit for vehicles. “The city's road network is such that, wherever one may want to go, you have to compulsorily pass by the Municipal Building/Garden. The ring road would have avoided this, and hence the city roads would have been less congested,” he said.
He added, “Construction of a flyover bridge will be of no help at all in tackling the traffic congestion seen along Margao roads, and will be a total waste of public funds. It is our earnest appeal to the double-engine sarkar to examine the usefulness of incurring such huge expenditure and suggested that the same funds could be used for the construction of the much-needed flyover at the Comba level crossing.”
While addressing the media, along with Clifford Dias, Mathin Karol, Aneil Alvares, Robert Vaz, and Camilo Camara, Coutinho further charged that the Margao MLA, despite enjoying top positions, failed to provide the much-needed multi-level parking facility.
“We find traffic congestion on every road in the city due to the absence of adequate parking, which forces people to park vehicles on the roadside, thus hampering the smooth flow of traffic,” he said.
Mathin Karol stated that without any consideration for the availability of parking facilities, supermarkets are approved along busy roads, and the road-widening areas are used for parking. “Several shopping malls have come up in the city. While on paper/plans basement or stilt parking is shown, in reality, these parking lots are converted into storerooms or are used to house power generators,” he said.
The Congress has warned the government and the PWD to propose projects based on their usefulness to the public and not to suit the needs of the Margao MLA. They also said that legal forums shall be approached if necessary.
