Bumper-to-bumper traffic for 3rd day; Bridge to remain closed today
The stretch between Agacaim and Cortalim has been witnessing massive traffic snarls for several days and it has been particularly severe for the last three consecutive days.
Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar
PANAJI
Even as the State government came in for sharp criticism for delaying the opening of the first phase (4 lanes) of the new Zuari bridge amid the ongoing traffic chaos compounded by citizens flocking to the signature bridge, the office of the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant late on Tuesday said it will be shut for visitors on Wednesday.
The Opposition and many citizens via social media have slammed the government for delaying the opening of the new bridge for vehicular traffic ostensibly because Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was available only on December 29 for the inauguration.
The stretch between Agacaim and Cortalim has been witnessing massive traffic snarls for several days now. The chaos has been particularly severe for the last three consecutive days and is being attributed to two reasons: a larger footfall of tourists for the Christmas weekend, and two, the decision of the Sawant-led government to open the new bridge for public viewing.
Social media has been flooded with pictures and videos of the serpentine queues of hundreds of vehicles catered to by the old bridge. Several reported missing scheduled flights, inconvenience due to ambulances being stranded in the traffic jams and generally nightmarish experiences negotiating the approximately two kilometer stretch between the Cortalim junction and the Agacaim side of the old bridge.
Meanwhile, some Opposition leaders slammed the government for its decision to open the new bridge for visitors but not vehicular traffic which they claimed would have eased the traffic snarls.
Initially, after a site visit by Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral, the government had announced that the bridge will be inaugurated on Monday (December 26) but hours later, the event was postponed to December 29 due to the non-availability of Gadkari.
Instead, the bridge was opened by the administration to allow curious Goans to visit the bridge and take selfies from December 26. With crowds thronging there and parking the vehicles alongside, it caused further impediments for the flow of traffic between the North and South of Goa.
St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar slammed the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for throwing open the new Zuari bridge for the public which has resulted in the occurrence of the traffic jams.
“The need of the hour is to throw the new Zuari bridge open for traffic. But instead the CM chose to throw it open for public for taking selfies,” Borkar informed and demanded that the government should not wait for formal inauguration of the new bridge and immediately throw it open for traffic.
The MLA further said that there are only a few traffic police posted at the junction to regulate the traffic, which is also adding to the aggravation of the problem.
“If the CM had to throw the Zuari bridge open to public he should have consulted the Agassaim police, the traffic police, the local MLA but with his unilateral decision it shows that he doesn’t care,” Borkar said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Venzy Viegas was particularly harsh in their criticisim of the government for what he called was a fallacy not to open the bridge for traffic when it was ready.
Recalling the 1983 episode in which former IPS officer Kiran Bedi had gone ahead in throwing the bridge (now the old bridge) open for traffic while the government waited for a formal inauguration by then Prime Minister the late Indira Gandhi, the Benaulim MLA asked in a tweet: "History repeats itself with @BJP4Goa & new Zuari Bridge. Is there anyone in Goa with the guts of @TheKiranBedi who defiantly threw the bridge open then?"
Congress State president Amit Patkar also slammed the government calling it "mockery of governance".
"On one side @BJP4Goa government health minister @visrane conducts Covid Mock Drill at GMC & on the other side @goacm @DrPramodSawant organises Selfie Shows on new Zuari Bridge causing inconvenience to commuters causing traffic jams," Patkar said.
Meanwhile the CMO said the bridge will be closed for visitors on Wednesday due to preparations for the inauguration on Thursday (December 29).
