MARGAO
Venue: Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex. Meeting place: Room No 438, 4th Floor, Collectorate building. Date and time: June 19 at 12.15 pm. Agenda: To discuss the acute traffic congestion plaguing Margao City. Roadmap: To outline plans and strategies for improving traffic flow, alleviating traffic congestion, infrastructure improvement, enforcement of traffic regulations and safety in Margao City.
Taking cognizance of the worsening traffic scenario after the reopening of city schools for the new academic year, authorities and stakeholders may have an answer to a simple question -- Will the proposed roadmap have any meaning unless the spacious old Margao bus stand adjoining the city schools is put to effective use for vehicular parking during peak school hours. For, the old bus stand offers an opportunity as a drop-off and pick-up facility, besides vehicular parking for parents who instead park their vehicles on the roads for want of a parking space.
Another moot question staring the authorities, including the Margao MLA and the civic body controlled by him is simple “ Will they force the kiosk owners to cart away their kiosks from the bus stand after business hours to pave the way for the utilization of the space for vehicular parking during school peak hours.
A visit to the old bus stand on Tuesday revealed a pathetic state of affairs, with the bus stand littered with stink and waste. While it was business as usual for the fast food kiosks, the bus stand had a couple of abandoned kiosks, besides a horticulture stall, and accident vehicles. Even the pedestrian pathway lay damaged with the inter-locking pavers craving for attention
The District Collector convening a meeting to address the traffic and parking imbroglio plaguing the heart of the commercial town may ring in good news and has raised hopes of a roadmap being put in place to ease traffic woes when umpteen number of similar meetings chaired by his predecessors over the years had come a cropper.
These are a few questions for the Margao Municipal and PWD officials:
*Why is the Margao Municipal Council dragging its feet in ensuring that the owners of the fast food gaddas tow their kiosks back to their place of residence after business hours? What had forced the MMC officials to turn a blind eye to the violation of the licence conditions by the kiosks?
Have the PWD officials any explanation why the gaddas adjoining the Comba railway crossing have been not removed even after notices were issued to the owners as the structures were set up in road-widening areas and causing acute traffic congestion?
No change in ground reality at old bus stand as inspection yields zero results
Is there any change in the ground reality at the old bus stand since the time Margao MLA Digambar Kamat along with Margao Civic Chief Damu Shirodkar and officials in tow inspected the area on June 6?
Other than the Margao MLA sending the minutes of the inspection held on June 6 with a suggestion to constitute a committee to identify the gaddas at Old Bus Stand in Margao and relocate the existing gaddas and demarcation of the area to pave way for proper parking, there’s no change in the ground reality till date.
In fact, questions are being raised in city circles that the constitution of the committee to identify and relocate the existing gaddas will only delay action to get the fast food kiosks out of the bus stand after business hours so that the bus stand is kept free for parking during day and afternoon time.
Officials in the know say what they have been demanding all these years is to ensure that the Margao Municipality get the fast food kiosks moved out of the bus stand after business hours as per the licence conditions.
“If the Collector has constituted the committee to identify and relocate the gaddas, let the Collector or the Margao Municipal Council first get the fast food owners to tow away the kiosks out of the bus stand after business hours so that the space is utilized for parking in the morning and afternoon,” remarked an official.
Incidentally, while it’s now almost eight days since the collector had constituted the panel, none of the kiosks have moved out of the bus stand after business hours, only raising suspicions about whether the Collector-constituted panel is just an alibi for the kiosks to stay put at the bus stand.
Brief of the panel constituted by District Collector, South.
*The Committee will identify gaddas (handcarts) at Old Bus Stand, Margao with their names, licences, occupier name and location and collect all their documents located and relocate existing gaddas and demarcate the area so that proper parking can be done.
*The Committee Members shall inspect the various locations in Margao and submit a detailed report thereof latest by July 10, 2024.
*The panel consists of the Deputy Collector SDM, Margao, Margao Municipal Chairpersoin, DySP traffic, DYSP Police, Margao Police Inspector, Police Inspector, Traffic, Margao Municipal engineer and the Inspection Officer of concerned Taluka in South Goa, Food and Drugs Administration or Officer nominated by the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration.
Invite to only two schools for meet
The heads of the Loyola High School and the Fatima Convent High School along with the PTA chairmen of the two schools have been invited to Wednesday’s meeting in a bid to explore the possibility of introducing staggered timings for the two schools.
Standing just a couple of metres apart, these two major schools are in the heart of the commercial capital and when the schools end for the day in the afternoon, the traffic on the main roads adjoining the schools comes to a virtual halt.
Over half-a-dozen schools are located in close proximity to each other in the heart of the town, within a radius of 1-2 kilometres, playing host to thousands of students. Questions are being raised as to why the administration has invited only the heads of these two schools when the administration ought to have invited the heads of the schools, higher secondary schools and colleges in and around Comba to work out a holistic solution to the perennial traffic woes.
A senior district administration official told 'The Goan' that the administration has for the moment invited only the heads of the two schools and the PTA chairmen to get feedback on how to help improve and ease traffic congestion in the city.
"Definitely, the meeting called on Wednesday is not the first and last meeting. We expect to come out with a road map for the city as a whole and not piecemeal solutions,” the official added.
The June 19 meeting will be attended by MLA Digmbar Kamat, DySP (Traffic), Deputy Collector & SDM, Margao, Margao Municipal Chairperson, Margao Municipal Chief Officer, Executive Engineer, PWD-VI (Roads), Executive Engineer, PWD-XIV(NH), Deputy Director of Education, South Zone, Assistant Director of Transport (Enforcement), Assistant Director of Transport, Margao, Headmistress, Fatima Convent High School, Headmaster, Loyola High School, PTA Chairman, Fatima Convent High School, PTA Chairman, Loyola High School.
