PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the government to prepare a comprehensive traffic management plan for Panaji, with designated pedestrian crossings, barricades, no-parking zones and additional police deployment at identified congestion points, particularly between 6 pm and 9 pm.
Hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation on traffic management, the Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar stressed that piecemeal directions to stop parking at individual locations would not resolve the problem and called for a coordinated plan covering the stretch from the Old Secretariat to the ferry point.
The court also highlighted congestion around the Captain of Ports (CoP) office, the jetty and Old Patto Road, where casinos, clubs and restaurants generate substantial traffic, especially during evening hours. It also noted that vehicles continued to occupy the no-parking zone along DB Road and the stretch outside the old High Court building on MG Road.
The Bench expressed concern over casino staff crossing roads at multiple points, creating difficulties during peak hours, and observed that barricades were removed, which has resulted in pedestrians crossing indiscriminately.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam told the court that casino operators were directed to park vehicles behind the Old Secretariat, but the direction had not been implemented. He assured the Bench that passenger drop-offs near the CoP office and ferry point would be regulated, with the designated point shifted towards the old Accounts Department.
Agreeing on the need for designated crossings, the Bench suggested that the Traffic Department identify suitable locations for zebra crossings, including near the former Bombay Steamer Jetty. It also sought measures to address congestion in St Tome’s narrow lanes and the parking of abandoned government vehicles near the Electricity Department.
The court directed the government and Traffic Department to prepare a plan specifying barricade placement, pedestrian crossings and no-parking zones. It said the Collector would have to issue the necessary notifications.
“The problem is most acute between 6 pm and 8 pm or till 9 pm, when traffic congestion peaks. There must be increased police presence at the identified locations,” the Bench said, asking the authorities to submit the plan by Monday.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Pangam said a meeting would be convened with the Panaji traffic cell and other concerned officers to examine the proposed measures.
“Once the issue of zebra crossings and barricades is addressed, the problem will be reduced drastically,” he said, adding that the matter would be heard next week for appropriate orders.
