PANAJI
A group of residents from Panaji have filed two petitions in the Bombay High Court at Goa, urging urgent directions to the government and the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation (IPSCDL) to alleviate the inconvenience and dust pollution caused by unplanned Smart City projects.
The High Court has slated a hearing to consider the admission of the petitions next Tuesday, which name IPSCDL, the Goa State Pollution Control Board, and other government agencies as respondents.
“Dust pollution has worsened in Panaji along with inconvenience owing to unplanned Smart City projects. The GSPCB has also failed to take cognizance of the issue. We have therefore sought the High Court’s intervention to provide relief to Panaji residents and expedite the project’s completion,” said one of the petitioners.
While ongoing works have left nearly all roads and lanes disrupted, IPSCDL initiated digging near the Mahalaxmi Temple and the Mushtifund School. Sources revealed that an institution requested to postpone the works until the end of March owing to ongoing exams, but the work commenced, resulting in inconvenience and dust pollution, affecting even temple visitors.
Last year, the High Court took suo moto cognizance of regular traffic congestion because of the Smart City works and directed the transport secretary to prepare an action plan. While a report was submitted, the unending works further added to traffic problems in the city.
