Yet another vehicle recently became trapped in a poorly filled sewage pit near Azad Maidan, Panaji. This incident adds to a series of heavy vehicles getting stuck on roads in the capital city. Earlier, a water tanker's rear tyre got caught in a hastily repaired pit near Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto-Panaji.
Similar incidents have occurred in St Inez and the heritage area of Sao Tome in Panaji. In one incident, four labourers were injured and required hospitalization. These occurrences highlight concerns regarding the safety measures and quality standards employed by the Public Works Department (PWD) and Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) during the execution of the ongoing sewerage network project. The people of Panaji are currently grappling with the challenges posed by ongoing Smart City works.
The manner in which the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) has undertaken various works under the Smart City Mission has been drawing flak from the citizens, who are irked due to road closures, making it difficult to travel in the city. The commuters every day face a lot of hardships caused by the damaged roads and traffic snarls caused by the constant digging for Smart City projects.
The city roads have caved in on account of the shoddy work to lay sewer lines implemented hastily. Lack of supervision by the other authorities concerned and failure on the part of the government to maintain quality checks are also the prime reasons for the present condition of the city.
