PANAJI
The only Panaji road, which has hitherto survived excavation, could soon meet the same fate as other arterial roads. Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation (IPSCDL) has allegedly proposed milling and re-carpeting of the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg Road, notwithstanding the serious inconvenience residents and commuters are enduring owing to the ongoing sewerage, road repair and beautification works.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has however directed Corporation’s CEO Mamu Hage to not undertake any new projects. “If the project is approved, the vehicle movement will be paralyzed since the entire stretch from Miramar to Patto will be under repairs. The duration of the work is not specified. The CM has, at least for now, rejected further works under the Smart City mission,” a senior official posted at the Chief Minister’s Office told The Goan. The Traffic Department has also raised objections to granting a nod for the project.
The city is already undergoing multiple excavations for several months, which have led to traffic and parking woes. In less than a fortnight, three accidents occurred wherein heavy trucks carrying work-related materials have fallen into pits. The roads have caved in with the last mishap near Police Headquarters. In the first accident last week, four workers from Agra were injured of whom two are recuperating while the other two are back to work.
Amid the haphazard work, Panaji is hosting Carnival on Saturday. Traffic Superintendent of Police Bossuet Silva has lamented that the agencies have failed to complete the work against their assurance, before Carnival. He said that the contractor/s is liable to be blacklisted for neglecting safety measures around the work site.
On Friday, the Congress karyakartas held a protest outside the office of the IPSCDL and demanded immediate completion of the work.
