Bambolim may have Goa’s first underground driveway
TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The State government is exploring the possibility of putting the subway outside Goa Medical College, Bambolim, to apt use by changing it to a vehicular driveway that will facilitate vehicular crossing from GMC to the Dental College without disturbing normal traffic movement.
This was ideated at a meeting between the Goa Medical College and Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) recently.
“The GSIDC will be asked to consult its experts to check out the feasibility of converting the subway as a driveway,” disclosed administrator of GMC Swapnil Naik.
Naik said that presently the subway meant for pedestrians is hardly being used. Similarly, the shops constructed inside continue to remain shut despite efforts to get vendors to shift inside.
The Managing Director of GSIDC, Sanjit Rodrigues said, “the GSIDC will take a look at this new option,” adding further that the existing subway would not need any major changes if approved by its consultants for a driveway except for the two accesses on either sides of the highway.
The GSIDC has admitted that the subway for pedestrians did not take off as there was no enforcement and neither were bus stops on either side integrated with the subway accesses.
“People preferred crossing the roads rather than using the subways as the buses would stop anywhere and people had to walk up to the subway accesses which turned out to be inconvenient,” said an official in the Corporation.
The second drawback was of maintenance, as neither the PWD nor the GMC were ready to maintain it.
The Corporation has also attributed the failure of the subway for pedestrian use to the non-occupancy of the shops in the subway which would have attracted people to use it.
If the proposal is cleared by the GSIDC, this could be the first underground driveway in Goa.
The subway outside GMC was constructed six years ago and has since been in the news for its non-utilization in addition to being used by unwanted elements and abandoning of a baby therein.
