PANAJI
Less than two months after a fire damaged parts of Panaji's neglected mangrove boardwalk, the Smart City project returned to the spotlight on Monday after an unidentified man was found hanging there.
Police and fire personnel rushed to the site after the body was spotted hanging from a tree along the boardwalk. The man, who was wearing a raincoat, was found suspended with his feet just a few centimetres above the deck. At the time of filing this report, police had not released further details about the deceased or the circumstances surrounding the death.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the abandoned project, which was once promoted as a flagship urban ecology initiative but has since become a symbol of neglect and administrative uncertainty.
Developed by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) along the Rua de Ourem creek in Patto, the facility was envisioned as a mangrove interpretation centre, recreational promenade, and learning space for birdwatchers and students. Over time, however, large sections of the structure fell into disrepair. Wooden planks splintered, safety barriers collapsed, and parts of the walkway became inaccessible long before a fire damaged sections of the boardwalk earlier this year.
Responsibility for the facility remains disputed between IPSCDL and the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). While the Smart City agency has maintained that maintenance responsibilities were transferred to the civic body after the project's completion, the CCP has argued that parts of the development, including its second phase, have not been formally handed over.
The boardwalk's deteriorating condition prompted the CCP last month to pass a resolution proposing its demolition, citing repeated misuse by anti-social elements and concerns over public safety. The civic body later indicated it was reconsidering the move after a private organisation expressed willingness to restore the damaged structure at its own expense.
