MIRAMAR: Residents and traffic will continue to be affected by the work on the Mira Mar – Dona Paula – Raj Bhavan concrete road till February 21, 2015. The roadwork that started in February this year according to the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation has awarded the 4.5 km three lane 11 mts road with footpath at a cost of Rs 72.5 plus crore to M/s M Venkata Rao Infra Projects Pvt Ltd.
As of now according to the GSIDC, the work that has been completed is only 13%. What is important is that the project consultants have reduced the original four land road to a three lane one, on the ‘CM’s suggestion.”
The project will include the three-lane concrete road – on the CM’s suggestion and cut down for the original 4 lane, a lane for a seaside cycle track and the beautification works that will include pavements, sit outs, parking, streetlights and landscaping. While all this is fine, the big ask is why weren’t the people of Panjim informed and taken into confidence that the entire stretch of the main artery would be blocked for this long a period. Incidentally, the Corporation of the City of Panjim and its elected city fathers were not taken into confidence either.
This road is being built with no consideration for the people of Panjim. During the initial stages of the monsoon, the Sharada Mandir school was almost blocked out. Now as the work continues, residents have to contend with broken water pipelines, electricity wires and telephone wires dug up as work continues.
The road from the NIO circle to Raj Bhavan has been completely dug up and residents to the colonies are mostly inconvenienced. Residents living along the road – to be made a footpath – from NIO circle to the Dona Paula jetty still do not have telephone connections though after media pressure they at least get water.
Even if the no pain no gain formula is applied for a city’s development Panjim and its people are paying too heavy a price. So far there has been enormous pain, with no gain.
