the goan I network
VASCO
Motorists have reacted with outrage as vehicles were held up for several hours along the Cortalim-Agassaim stretch of the highway on Monday.
Vehicles were lined up for several kilometres along the site of the bridge construction work and the potholed roads at Agassaim were cited as one of the key reasons for the traffic jam.
Teams from Goa Police and Traffic Police struggled to manage and regulate the long queue of vehicles. Many speeding taxis and two-wheelers aggravated the situation by jumping the queue and creating bottlenecks at junctions.
At one time, the queue stretched right up to Siridao in the North and Sancoale towards the Vasco route in the South.
Several taxis were keen to rush their passengers to Dabolim Airport, while ambulances were equally desperate to rush patients to hospitals.
Utter chaos prevailed at the Cortalim Circle as traffic was stuck on all four sides, including a small bypass road moving towards Loutolim.
A 1 km route near the Agassaim bypass junction took as long as 1 hour, leaving motorists fuming with rage.
A taxi driver, Eddie Fernandes, said he had been stuck at the Agassaim bypass while his passenger was scheduled to board a flight.
“Fortunately enough, we had left from the hotel in Calangute four hours in advance. This stretch of the road is full of potholes and it was repaired just 5 days back. I curse the authorities every time my vehicle goes into a pothole,” said a fuming Fernandes.
“It took me one hour just to cross a small area which could have been covered on foot within 15 minutes. I am losing on fuel and also I am losing out on customers as I get stuck here on my return trip from the airport,” Fernandes added.
Vasco Councillor Murari Bandekar, who was also stuck in the jam said such traffic jams could be fatal to patients as ambulances struggled to make it through.
“Authorities should wake up and get the road repaired. At least during peak hours, traffic police should strictly maintain a lane for all vehicles,” said Bandekar.
Convenor of NGO Savera Tara Kerkar, also stranded in the jam slammed the authorities for their negligence.
“This is the same situation since the last three months and I don’t know what the PWD Department is doing. If the contractor cannot repair and patch a small stretch of the road, how can we trust him with this huge bridge project,” wondered Kerkar.
