The residents of Panaji are dealing with dust for several months due to dug-up roads and traffic jams as projects under Smart City works are moving at a snail’s pace. Apart from the residents, the commuters are also going through inconvenience in the name of Smart City with no clue as to when the excavations will be completed.
Currently, potholes, patchworks, protruding drain covers, depressions, etc on roads across the city are posing a danger to the lives of the commuters.
When The Goan contacted a senior PWD official, he informed that for the moment there is no proposal from the department to get the city roads hot-mixed. “Currently, the sewerage work is going on in the city and we cannot commence hot-mixing of roads until the work is completed,” the PWD official informed The Goan, on condition of anonymity.
“Only after the sewerage work is completed, would we be in a position to hot-mix the roads,” the official added.
Similarly, Goa State Urban Development Authority’s (GSUDA) rejuvenation of the Campal area as a green space with a recreational center and facility of smart parking under the Smart City missions, and the digging of the busy road near Kamat Estate in Tonca are just two projects that have not seen completion despite over six months.
While quite a few projects for smart roads and sewerage are pending completion, the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation Limited (IPSCDL) undertook additional projects through the Public Works Department, GSUDA, and other government agencies.
