Shweta Kamat
Ever caught up in traffic jams at Santa Monica while entering Panjim? Relax; this could soon be an issue of the past. The Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s (GTDC) multi-level vehicle parking facility, which is currently under construction, is nearing completion and is scheduled to be inaugurated once the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Election Code of Conduct is lifted on March 20.
The Rs 22 crore project was initiated by former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the foundation stone for the facility was laid in October 2012. The sole objective of the project is to reduce the traffic congestion on the streets in front of the Santa Monica Jetty, during the tourism season as well as during peak hours. The area gets especially crowded in the morning as vehicles enter Panjim and in the evening as tourists descend upon the area to go to the cruise boats that are anchored at the Santa Monica Jetty.
“It is a State-of-art multi-level car parking facility being built especially for tourists. It will accommodate 120-odd cars per floor with a total number of over 800 cars in it,” said a GTDC official. For starters the facility will be only meant for four-wheeler parking
The multi-level car park has four levels which include the ground floor, three levels and an open space. It will also include two passenger lifts and a toilet facility. The total area provided for the car parking is 19,400 sq m.
“The project is almost complete, with some final touches going on. The facility was supposed to have been inaugurated post the Panjim by-elections. However, with ZP code coming into force, we will have to wait till next month,” the official said.
GTDC is likely to inaugurate the facility after the Budget session of the State Legislative Assembly, which will begin from March 23.
A large amount of traffic on these roads throughout the season leads to major jams. Traffic cops have also been finding it difficult to manage the constant flow of vehicles, which includes tourist vehicles as well as local vehicles.
Around 90,000 vehicles enter Goa’s capital city through the new Patto Bridge every day and only 46,000 exit the city by peak evening office hours as per the report.
The multi-level parking is part of a Rs 90 crore project, which includes cruise jetty, bus parking, parking terminal and its connectivity to Santa Monica Jetty, Patto.
