Adding to a string of embarrassments for the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), a gaping hole appeared on Sunday morning at the centre of a busy four‑arm junction along Bernard Guedes Road in the market area, forcing motorists to swerve around the hazard, creating confusion and slowing traffic.
Fortunately, it was a Sunday when traffic movement dwindles on the weekend but traffic police moved quickly to place barricades and tree branches in the affected area as a warning sign of a road hazard for motorists.
There was however no word either from the Corporation of the City of Panaji or the IPSCDL on when it will be rectified.
The road cave-in comes barely two weeks after a similar cave‑in near Taj Vivanta at St Inez, had disrupted traffic and drew sharp criticism from residents.
IPSCDL officials admitted such incidents were “expected” to happen given the extensive trenching carried out for the parallel underground sewerage network. They said the digging and refilling process weakens road surfaces, making them prone to subsidence.
The latest cave‑in has once again highlighted the fragility of Panaji’s roads, many of which were resurfaced only last year under Smart City projects.
Traffic police are expected to be deployed to manage movement at the Bernard Guedes junction on Monday even as the CCP is likely to initiate emergency repairs. However, for commuters, the risk of more such road cave-ins looms in the weeks ahead.
The St Inez incident earlier this month had prompted a joint inspection by CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate, PWD engineers, Smart City representatives, and traffic officials. Immediate corrective measures were identified then, but a section of the road near the Caculo island circle continues to be cordoned-off and work is in progress.
Panaji’s market area is one of the busiest stretches in the capital, with hundreds of vehicles passing daily. A cave‑in at its core junction has raised concerns about safety and the durability of Smart City works.
For now, IPSCDL insists the collapses are part of the adjustment process as the roads settle of construction of the new sewerage network. But for residents and commuters, the sight of roads caving in has become a source of mounting frustration.
