the goan I network
PORVORIM
Protests by mining dependents near the KTC bus stand at Panaji bought transportation across the Mandovi River to a grinding halt as thousands of motorists and a multitude of commuters as well as Indian and foreign tourists were stranded for several hours.
There was smooth movement of traffic at Porvorim till 10.30 am, when hundreds of mining dependent protesters began blocking the KTC circle at Panaji.
Within minutes, vehicles were paralysed along the highway at Porvorim and the queues began swelling along the Service Road as well.
Since the Service Road was blocked, vehicle owners began proceeding through the internal roads of Porvorim and Betim, adding to the congestion along the narrow roads.
When all roads leading to Panaji were blocked, desperate motorists began proceeding towards the Betim ferry wharf, hoping to cross over to Panaji by ferry.
Chaos then prevailed at the Betim ferry wharf, which was chockablock with two-wheeler riders and commuters.
Fortunately on Monday, three ferry boats were plying along the Betim“Panaji route, but all three ferries struggled to cope with the surge in passengers and vehicles on both sides of the river.
Staff on the ferry boats had a tough time controlling the crowds, as people and motorists were keen to rush into ferries even before the passengers and vehicles could alight from the vessel.
Among the worse affected were tourists, Indian and foreign, who were desperate to cross over to Panaji and proceed towards their destinations.
Tourists who had to come to Betim by crossing the ferry were seen stranded at Betim and taxi operators were seen demanding exorbitant rates to transport them.
Some tourists who were proceeding towards Panaji alighted from their taxis near the Mandovi bridge and began walking along the bridge with their children and luggage.
Parents who were proceeding to Panaji to pick up their children from schools closing in the afternoon were also caught up in the traffic jam at Porvorim and were badly hit.
Some abandoned their vehicles and crossed over by ferry as they rushed to the schools to pick up their wards well after school hours.
Students who were returning from Panaji after school also crossed by the ferry, but were stranded at Betim as there were no buses to go towards Candolim and Calangute.
The traffic police posted at the Mandovi Bridge had a difficult time controlling the traffic.
By about 3 pm, there was a slight improvement in vehicular movement and the situation was normalised later in the evening.
