Top review conducted at Nehru Stadium as final touches given to PM’s route by host of agencies
'Get Set Goa' hoardings dotting around the Nehru Stadium stadium as the State is bracing up to host the 37th National games on Thursday.
MARGAO
Get set Goa. That’s one of the many hoardings prominently displayed in and around the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Fatorda as the stage is set for the inauguration of the 37th National Games at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his Sports Minister Govind Gawde descended at the Nehru stadium on Wednesday evening to take a final review of the ongoing preparedness ahead of the inaugural programme scheduled on Thursday, a flurry of activity could be seen in the vicinity of the stadium, not in any way connected to the games per se, but to lay a red carpet welcome for the Prime Minister.
A ride down the roads leading to the Nehru stadium, beginning from the Seraulim traffic junction showed that final touches are being given to the Prime Minister’s route by a host of agencies. Similarly, the district Collectorate-Nehru stadium road has also received a hot mix coat, besides the Old market-Stadium stretch of the road.
Goa police and traffic personnel have taken positions along the Seraulim junction-wholesale fish market-district Collectorate road, the route which will welcome the Prime Minister on Thursday evening.
Wholesale fish market road: Goa’s lone wholesale fish market has witnessed a makeover from the stench and stink, due to which the market had come under the High Court lens. Thanks to the Modi factor, the entire half-a-kilometre road has been spruced up for the Prime Minister’s travel. Apart from the hot mix coat laid on the road, the road has been decked up with the repairs and paintings of the road dividers. The last time the road was spruced up by the government agencies was on the eve of the Foreign Ministers conference at Benaulim earlier this year.
To ensure that fish vendors do not sell fish outside the wholesale fish market, police have been deployed right at the market entrance to keep the vendors at bay. Removal of the fish transporting trucks parked along the roadside has now paved the way for smooth travel on the four-lane road.
What is important to note is that waste and garbage has almost disappeared from the wholesale market road in the last two days. Reason. The Margao Municipal Council has directed the private waste contractor to deploy additional manpower on the road to ensure periodic lifting of the waste and litter.
Road side bushes: Even as the police, including traffic police were bracing up for a traffic drill along the PM’s route, Margao Municipal workers were all on the ground to clear the road side bushes and vegetation that have encroached on the footpaths on the PM’s route opposite the South district Collectorate. If sources are to be believed, an army of Margao municipal sweepers will be again deployed on Thursday morning till noon, to ensure that bushes as well as waste is swept away from the roadsides.
Vehicular parking: The SAG ground behind Samrat garden and the land acquired for the non-conventional energy park have been developed and earmarked as parking slots for visitors for the inaugural programme. The two sites have been levelled and compacted, besides illuminated for the purpose of parking.
South Goa district hospital: The South Goa district hospital, just a kilometre and half away from the Nehru stadium, is geared up to play the role of a contingency hospital in case of an emergency.
Following directions from the district authorities, the Medical Superintendent, South Goa District hospital has put in place arrangements for the contingency hospital.
Medical Superintendent Dr Rajendra Borkar, informed that necessary arrangements have been put in place for providing requisite number of ambulances, medical facilities in contingency medical care centre, medical facilities infinitive medical care centre and ambulance facilities at the Stadium and for the carcade. Consultants, specialists, doctors and para-medics have been told to be alert in times of an emergency.
