That Panaji will be a Smart City may always remain a dream. There is a need to urgently decongest the city. Shifting the schools to Cujira has not eased Panaji’s woes. The authorities have miserably failed to deal with the traffic mayhem in Panaji. To add to the chaos hundreds of taxis are illegally parked all over the city. The law requires that the taxis be stationed at the designated taxi stands or at the residence of the owner. Besides, the double parking especially on the 18th June Road and Atmaram Borkar Road must all stop.
Traffic cops conveniently continue to turn Nelson’s eye to all those casino vehicles which are illegally parked in the no-parking zone along the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg. The residents of Sao Tome ward, behind the Post Office, have been suffering for the last many years on account of the parking nightmare created by the casinos. The situation gets worse especially on the weekends disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the residents in the area.
Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate in May 2019 had promised to remove the casinos from the Mandovi within 100 days but quickly reneged on that solemn vow. Now as Minister for Waste Management, he has assured to solve the Sonsodo garbage nightmare within 18 months. Let us wait and watch on this latest promise.
