PANAJI
Road closures, diversions and excavations for the final phase of Smart City works in outlying Ribandar are slated to begin from Wednesday, the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has said in a statement in which it has assured "to complete the remaining tasks within a specified timeframe."
The entire stretch of road from the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Old Goa) junction along the causeway up to Divja circle (Panaji) will be closed from March 10 to April 30, for traffic moving from Old Goa to Panaji in either direction. Traffic in these 50-odd days will be diverted to the NH 748 (Kadamba Bypass Road), IPSCDL said.
However, the intermediate stretches will be closed as per the following schedule: Vithal Mandir to Amul Shop in Fondvem (March 12 to April 30); Amul Shop at Fondvem to Ajuda Church (March 12 to April 15); Ajuda Church to Ribandar Patto circle (March 12 to April 30); Ribandar Patto Circle to Chimbel junction (March 6 to April 30).
On Tuesday, IPSCDL managing director and CEO, Sanjit Rodrigues chaired a meeting to discuss the closure of the Ribandar road to begin the sewerage and gas pipeline laying work.
The meeting was also attended by Panaji (traffic cell) police inspector Chetan Saulekar, CCP municipal engineer Thomas Braganza, PSI Laureen Sequeira of the Old Goa police station, the three CCP councillors representing Ribandar, the panch of Chimbel Sandesh Chopdekar and officials of the contractors executing the work.
It discussed coordination besides addressing traffic management and public safety issues. To address the concerns raised by locals related to hardship which school students will face due to their examinations, additional bus transport services from Divja circle to Ajuda church junction were planned.
IPSCDL has said that the contractors executing the works have been directed to prioritize safety precautions, including barricading, signage and sufficient lighting at all the work sites.
