MARGAO
Can Madgavkars look forward to resolutions of the perennial issues plaguing the commercial capital with Congress-turned-BJP MLA Margao MLA Digambar Kamat embracing the ruling dispensation after occupying the opposition benches for a decade?
Presiding over Margao for 27-long years since his election to the Assembly in the 1994 polls, the seven-time MLA often faced brickbats from his BJP opponents, before he embraced the saffron party, blaming Kamat for the city’s deterioration on the infrastructure front, a charge rubbished by the former chief minister in his inimitable fashion.
As the debate rages over the moot question of whether the city’s infrastructure has kept pace in tune with the growing requirements in the commercial capital, Margao indeed is craving attention as the city is seeking solutions to tide over a host of burning problems staring at the city. The Goan delves into some of the burning issues plaguing the city.
Traffic woes
The six-lane Rawanfond bridge proposed by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) at a whopping cost of Rs 54.13 crore may help resolve traffic issues on the city’s eastern side. Traffic congestion and snarls, however, are still the order of the day in the commercial capital for want of concrete measures to resolve the issue. Hopes were raised around a decade ago when then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar promised to address the traffic ills by roping in an expert agency but in vain. Nothing much has changed on the ground in the last 10 years, with even the proposed flyovers mooted at the entrance to Margao at Nuvem, Arlem and Rawanfond yet to see the light of the day.
Railway crossing and traffic snarls
It’s often said that when trains run on the Konkan railway tracks passing through the city, traffic comes to a halt on Margao’s western side. If sources are to be believed, around 80 trains run on the railway tracks each day through the city. And, every time a train runs on the tracks, traffic almost comes to a halt around the Comba-Khareband belt - the city’s educational hub -playing host to institutions catering to thousands of students, right from Kindergarten (KG) to Post-graduation (PG). A subway commissioned at Comba over a decade ago has outlived its utility, only raising the demand for a flyover along the tracks to mitigate the hardships.
Parking woes
Margao is blessed with three open spaces - the Old fish market, the old bus stand and the pick-up stand. Strange it may seem but true that the city still has no dedicated multi-level parking to date. A multi-level parking project proposed by the Margao Municipal Council is yet to see the light of the day. The Margao MLA has now promised to take the project to a logical conclusion. Sources, however, say the MLA should work for at least two parking lots considering the fact that it would take at least 2-3 years for the parking lots to become a reality.
CCTV surveillance cameras
Believe it or not, the Big Brother is still in a sleep mode in the commercial capital, thanks to apathy and indifference from the municipality and law enforcement agencies. None other than Kamat knows for sure how the cops had to move from one business establishment to another in the city to get a hold of the CCTV footage following the cold-blooded murder of young city-jeweller Swapnil Walke two years ago. Kamat was instrumental in reviving the CCTV project for some time before the cameras went into sleep mode again.
Illegal gaddas
Many say the Margao MLA has a task cut out “ how to stop the commercial capital from becoming a gadda capital. For, illegal gaddas have been mushrooming with political patronage. Sources say licensed gaddas are operating by flouting the license conditions, while illegal kiosks are mushrooming right under the nose of the Municipal authorities and the powers that be.
Kabrastan issue
It’s now over a decade since the Margao MLA was instrumental in facilitating the Margao Municipal Council to acquire the Sonsodo land to set up a kabrastan. The project, however, has been mired in controversies during the last 10 years. With Kamat in the ruling, the minority community may look forward to the MLA resolving the issue once and for all.
Jobs for the unemployed youth
Many say that jobs had rained, literally, in the commercial capital when Digambar Kamat was the chief minister for five years. His opponents in private say that Kamat had tightened his political grip in the city after he provided jobs to the youth during his stint as chief minister. Kamat’s political graph has seen an upward trend since 2012, as he bettered his victory margin in every successive election, with political observers attributing it to the jobs he provided.
With Kamat now in the ruling, expectations indeed run high amongst his supporters as they eye the prized government job.
During his election campaign for the 2022 Assembly polls, Kamat had not only reminded his voters of the jobs he provided but had promised better days if Congress returns to power.
