Panaji to simmer in 2017 election cauldron

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Located on the banks of River Mandovi, the constituency of Panaji stretches from St Pedro, right upto Caranzalem covering areas of Ribandar, Mala, Fontainhas, Panaji, Altinho, St Inez, and few areas in Miramar and Caranzalem.

The city has a varied landscape viz terraced hills, water bodies, creeks, as well as the promenade stretching from the ferry point right up to Campal. Panaji is also known for its heritage areas like Sao Tome and Campal which are popular among locals as well as tourists.

Panaji is administered by the Corporation of City of Panaji through its 30 elected representatives.

Though Panaji is considered to be a developed city, and appears to be perfect, there do exist certain problems. Haphazard parking, lack of a wet waste dumping site and traffic management, besides the St Inez nullah are the major problems craving for attention.

While the CCP has managed to introduce pay parking in the City, there is no effective implementation, as it has been done without putting the requisite infrastructure in place. Areas that are demarcated for two-wheelers and four-wheelers have not been painted. Few commuters also complain that though pay parking has been introduced on 18 streets in Panaji, the workers collecting pay parking fees sometimes even charge for parking in zones which have not been designated as parking zones.

Interestingly, two heritage areas which add to Panaji’s beauty are Campal and Fontainhas. But these too face the problem of haphazard parking. As far as Campal area is concerned, during exhibitions and programmes held at Campal ground or Kala Academy, the lanes in this area are used by visitors to park the vehicles, and that too in a haphazard manner which sometimes makes it difficult for residents to get their own vehicles into their parking lots.

The 18th June Road, considered to be the busiest road and thriving business hub, is visited by thousands of tourists and locals alike. The street witnesses double parking and traffic congestion during peak hours. The Traffic Cell had earlier installed CCTVs at different locations and managed to address the problem to some extent.

Additionally, as there is no effective public transport system in place, people prefer to come with their own vehicles, and owing to the lack of parking space, it further leads to congestion.

St Inez nullah is another eyesore to the City. The CCP for the first time, by raising funds through Corporate Social Responsibility, has managed to de-weed the creek to a large extent, but the issue still remains unresolved as sewage is being discharged into the nullah. Interestingly, in some parts of the nullah like St Inez, otters have made their presence felt during the last one year.

Another issue plaguing the City is the lack of wet waste dumping site. The GSIDC is already working on setting up a plant behind Heera Petrol Pump, and is likely to be functional by next month.

While the city generates nearly eighty tonnes of waste everyday, by adopting the technique of segregation at source, a system has been put in place a system wherein the wet and dry waste in collected as well as treated separately. For several years now Panaji has been a bin-free city after the CCP adopted door-to-door garbage collection system. At nearly 135 housing societies spread across Panaji, CCP has implemented A four-way segregation system wherein trolley bins have been provided to the colony for the purpose of segregating four types of waste “ paper and cartons, plastics, glass and metal and non-recyclables. Additionally, the colonies have been given one bin wherein coconut shells, husk, among others, can be segregated.

To decongest and streamline the traffic, the Traffic Police and CCP have taken the initiative to convert 18 major streets of Panaji to one-ways, which has managed to address the traffic problems during peak hours to a very large extent.

Another good news for the City is that it is all set to receive funding under the ‘Smart City Mission’ of the Union Ministry of Urban Development for improving facilities like transportation, waste management, among others.

Additionally, Panaji has already been sanctioned Rs 60 crore for six projects under AMRUT for this year and Rs 75 crore for the next year.

Considered to be a bastion of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who has been the MLA of Panaji since 1994, Panaji witnessed a by-poll in 2015, after he was elevated in the Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet. Here too, the BJP managed to retain its seat by a huge margin of over 5,000 votes.

During the by-polls, 15,704 electors out of 22,057 exercised their franchise, resulting into a percentage of 71.19 per cent. Present MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar managed to garner 9,989 votes who won by a margin of 5,368 votes.

This time, the Aam Aadmi Party is entering State politics for the first time, and has announced that their candidate for Panaji would be Valmiki Naik. Additionally, Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch also wants to put up a candidate in Panaji. Nonetheless, Taleigao bigwig Babush Monserrate has also made his announced his intent of contesting from Panaji this time around.

MLA SPEAK

I have my manifesto, and I am carrying out different works as these were our promises to the people. It is not just my term as MLA, but I consider this as BJP’s 24th year in the constituency. Panaji has been selected as a Smart City wherein we will get central funding for creating and improving various facilities. Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), we have been sanctioned nearly Rs 60 crore for six different projects, and works will begin shortly. Additionally, we have already been stationed Rs 75 crore for next year. The work on installing a new underground smart grid for Ribandar too will commence soon. For Panaji, a 27 MLD water treatment plant is being set up at Opa. Apart from this, a one-way system also has been put in place in Panaji to solve the traffic problem.

The work on the project was pending as one of our citizens approached the NGT. The work is almost complete and the unit is likely to be functional from next month onwards. As regards the dry waste, we already have a system in place for segregating waste at source. We are trying to achieve zero landfill for the city.

We spent nearly two years in getting the master plan approved for Panaji through various consultation programmes. Now that we have been selected to get central funds under AMRUT and Smart City Mission, we will implement it in a phase-wise manner wherever feasible. Already, six projects have been approved under AMRUT and the funds too have come in. The State government has transferred Rs 12 crore to GSIDC for its implementation. We will first start with the development of Azad Maidan and the waterfront from Campal to indoor stadium.

India is a very healthy democracy, and in a democracy everybody has the right to contest elections, make their own promises and campaign. But, people are the judges. We have proposed various developmental projects and have also implemented various schemes for the people. Our karyakartas and MLAs are constantly in touch with the people. Our performance will be our strength. We have fulfilled almost 80 per cent of our promises

DISSENTING VOICE

Right now, I am compiling all the problems Panaji is facing. Nearly 70 per cent are common problems such as garbage, traffic, sewage, parking, etc, which every other party had promised to address in their election manifestos. My plan is to deliver and resolve these long-pending issues. I expect an additional 30 per cent issues that have not even been identified yet by our politicians. These underlying issues of Panaji such as public transportation, safety and law & order, burgeoning slum areas, lack of parks & playgrounds, high cost of living, etc, are emerging through our Goa Dialogue process of consultation with the citizens. People do not want big promises, they want basic needs like roads, reliable power & water supply, and affordable living costs. Though Panaji has witnessed lots of plans, there has been no implementation. I want to deliver on all these.

I have got an overwhelming response. People are really upset with the governance they are being subjected to, whether by Congress before or BJP now. There is a very palpable anger that I have noticed. I feel that under this government, things have worsened. I have been told that there has been a lot of arrogance as far as the present MLA and even the government is concerned. They want change, and they see AAP as the change.

DDSSY scheme which needs a huge budgetary allocation, should have been considered in this year’s budget at least. No single rupee has been allocated for it. This is only an election promise, because the government is trying to hide its failure to address the healthcare sector in Goa over the last five years. I feel healthcare in Goa is one of the worst. Our own health minister who has several health problems does not even dare to visit GMC. Doctors and nurses are overworked, and patients are undercared for. There is no proper water supply, not enough beds, dismal infrastructure, and ultimately no hope for improvement. Our model in Delhi has worked very well, but it does not mean we will replicate it exactly in Goa. We are studying Goa’s issues and requirements and we will have Goa-specific solutions soon.

Panaji has been known as BJP’s stronghold and that is because no other party has dared to put a viable option. Similarly, BJP puts up a weak candidate in Taleigao. So there was always this agreement between Congress and BJP for Panaji and Taleigao because big leaders like Parrikar and Monserrate cannot afford to lose. They would protect each other’s interest in these constituencies. It is a myth that they cannot be defeated. They would be defeated, and by a huge margin because people want to teach them a lesson for the way they have handled the city.

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PEOPLE’S VOICES

If one compares Panaji to other cities in the State, it is in a better position as regards the layout or beautification is concerned. Panaji needs major attention as far as the traffic scenario is concerned. Many government offices are still located in the city. Hop-in hop-off buses would be the best option that can address the twin issues of traffic congestion and pollution, as people would park their vehicles at the outskirts and enter the city. Secondly, mostly post 8 pm near the Captain of Ports jetty, many tourists visit the casinos and park their vehicles in a haphazard manner. The tourist riders too are rash, thereby putting people's safety at risk.

Prashanti Talpankar

The most common issues Panaji faces is garbage, haphazard parking and stray dogs. Social security is missing in Panaji. As regards traffic management is concerned, the police conveniently station themselves at 'no-parking' or 'no-entry' zones. The one-way system which has been put in place for Panaji has become an avenue to penalise motorists. There is no regulation. Also, it has been noticed that some cars are parked for months together at various locations in Panaji, thus blocking precious space.

Krishnaraj Sukerkar

The first thing that needs to be done in Panaji is improving the condition of roads, especially the potholes that require repair as it is endangering the lives of people, particularly two-wheeler riders.

Bernadine Fernandes, banker

The road from Campal Ganesh to the bridge near Fire Brigade needs urgent attention. It is in a dilapidated condition. In my opinion, traffic congestion has greatly reduced after the implementation of pay parking in the city

Pushker Thakur

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YEAR WINNER PARTY VOTES RUNNER-UP PARTY VOTES

1977 Bir Madhv Ramkrishna JNP 3555 Sardessai Kashinath Venkatesh MAG 2549

1980 Naik Vishnu Anant IND 3967 Naik Baban Anant MAG 3138

1984 Gonsalves Joan INC 4844 Naik Baban Anant MAG 1867

1989 Gonsalves Joan INC 3983 Pushpashil Krishna Kerkar MAG 2915

1994 Parrikar Manohar BJP 4600 Keshav Laximidhar INC 3534

1999 Parrikar Manohar BJP 5396 Keshav Laximidhar INC 2647

2002 Parrikar Manohar BJP 5700 Silimkhan Ramesh INC 4408

2007 Parrikar Manohar BJP 6004 Dinar Tarcar INC 4560

2012 Parrikar Manohar BJP 11086 Yatin Parekh INC 5018