PANAJI
If the present closure of roads in Panaji was not enough to cause substantial inconvenience to the residents and commuters, the Office of the North District Magistrate has given its nod to close yet another major lane for two months.
With permission granted to the Public Works Department (PWD), the road from Caculo Mall to Haji Ali, St Inez will be closed with effect from November 15, 2022 for 60 days. The order was 'incidentally' signed and issued on the same day.
As per the order signed by North Collector Mamu Hage, the PWD is directed to ensure the parallel and surrounding roads should not be obstructed owing to the civic works and deploy a sufficient number of traffic marshals to guide the motorists to alternate routes.
The other precautionary measures include installing red lamps/ lights at the construction sites to ensure visibility during the night time, as well as traffic signages at the closure points; to not dump construction materials on the road, and cleansing the entire area upon completion of the works, etc.
Quite a few of the capital city’s arterial roads have been dug to be developed as ‘smart roads’ under the projects by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation Limited (IPSCDL). While some are excavated for over six months, new projects emerged in the past couple of weeks which have caused huge inconvenience to residents and the floating traffic.
From parking woes to repeated rupturing of water pipelines, the city is also facing internet connectivity and the problem of overflowing sewage.
The Goan in its November 6 edition highlighted how these ongoing works have led to a chaotic situation in Panaji even as some projects crossed their deadlines.
Moreover, the local administration has failed to tighten the noose around the contractors with projects still being given back-to-back approvals.
