MARGAO
Residents of Davorlim hit the streets on Tuesday to demand traffic signals at the Aquem power house traffic junction, even as the district authorities have asserted that these are not feasible at the moment.
Even as Deputy Collector Margao Roshell Fernandes has communicated to the villagers that traffic signal at the Power House junction is not feasible, a group of villagers led by Anand Sawant told the media that the junction has become accident-prone, affecting the villagers of Davorlim.
The villagers demanded that the authorities should at least deploy a traffic cop at the junction if the traffic signals are not feasible.
“We have been demanding traffic signals at the Power House junction, Aquem, for the last many years. A number of accidents, including fatal, have taken place at the junction. If the Collector says the traffic signals are not feasible, the authorities should either deploy policemen or erect rumblers at the spot to prevent accidents”, Anand said.
He demanded to know why the authorities deploy policemen at the traffic junction only when ministers pass on the road.
He warned that the villagers would drag the government authorities to court in the event any fatal accident takes place at the spot.
Another villager Seby Colaco said that traffic from around nine roads converges at the Aquem Power House junction and questioned why a traffic signal has not taken shape at the place to date.
Deputy Collector, Roshell Fernandes, in her letter to the villagers, stated that the government has proposed a new road overbridge, running parallel to the existing Rawanfond bridge, whose approach roads will extend till the Power House junction, adding “once the proposed new bridge is in place, there will be six roads to cater for.
“As such, traffic signal system for more than four road junction is very complex. Also, a comprehensive restructuring and merging of this major junction is required which will consume substantial time and completion of the new bridge”, the Deputy Collector stated.
