PANAJI
The closure of the stretch of road between Caculo Mall and the Sewage Treatment Plant at Tonca for the Smart City project work has given rise to chaotic traffic jams in the area.
Haphazard parking of four-wheelers is only adding to the problem in the area, especially during the evening peak hours when office-goers are returning home. Serpentine queues of vehicles are the order of the day from the junction right up to Madhuban Circle.
Interestingly, despite repeated claims that the contractors will deploy traffic marshals, there is no one visible to regulate vehicular movement. Traffic police personnel too are not visible, especially during peak hours.
Currently, the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has taken up the laying of the one-meter diameter pipe connecting the chamber at the Caculo Mall junction to the STP along the last leg of the sewerage project.
Parallely, contractors are also executing other work related to laying sewage channels which require the road to be closed till June 10. This road closure has also increased the traffic congestion at the Bal Bhavan-DB Marg junction as it is an alternative route for residents to reach Tonca-Miramar from the St Inez area and other parts of Panaji city.
In such a scenario, the DB Marg is bearing the brunt of all the spillover traffic with residents using it to commute between Panaji to St Inez or Taleigao. Consequently, traffic jams between Bal Bhavan and Kala Academy are routine occurrences.
Manhole work completed near Sheetal Hotel
PANAJI: According to the information provided by Smart City Limited, the manhole work near Sheetal Hotel has been completed. This is an important step in the Smart City work in the St Inez area. Sewage channels leading to Taj Vivanta Junction, Madhuban Junction and Caculo Mall Junction have been connected to this manhole.
