Most by elections, because of the circumstances in which they are held do not spring any major surprises. Constituencies are forced in to poll mode when the dominating leader switches parties or a party decides to get a Chief Minister or another leader elected after the Assembly elections.
But even then, as Manohar Parrikar seeks to return to the House as an MLA, and continue a Chief Minister, it is perhaps one more occasion, and a good one at that, to carry on the discourse of what Panjim needs to streamline and prioritise, as an example of city governance, which will rub off on other towns.
For once, it will be prudent to step back from the whirlwind of getting Panjim to be ready for its Smart City status, without undermining the need to fulfill the parameters to ensure completion of deadlines and the release and spending of funds on a regular basis, to ensure this completion. The list of standalone issues, some of which may well be dovetailed in to the Smart City project, continue to linger and fester. And we are listing this down even at the risk of multiple repetitions. This itself is the best evidence that things need to move, on some of the basics.
Firstly Panjim’s transportation network and support system, cannot wait for fancy solutions.
The pay parking system has to be ready and functioning as of yesterday. Designated parking areas in specific zones should be earmarked and parking fees collected. Right now the system is ad hoc and limited only to a few places.
An audit must also be done on the effectiveness of the mutli-level parking facility. With the hub and spoke concept on paper, there is no last mile connectivity for the multilevel parking to different city points, vide special buses. Right now, a person parking in the facility does not have a hassle free ride or connect on public transport into the city.
Thirdly, the bottlenecks and jams outside the Cujira school complex have to be dealt with and the place de-congested. Traffic needs to be streamlined through a much better use of the subways. Dedicated road lanes for school buses and staggered timings will streamline his to an extent.
The presence of cracks, the absence of street lights and the slow pace of the beautification, on the Miramar Dona Paula road, is a constant narrative. But as Chief Minister and likely MLA, Mr Parrikar needs to remove the albatross of this road from his neck.
The completion of the Waste treatment plant at Bainguinim on time should be the next bog priority for Panjim.
At a macro level, the city’s planning has to be done in the context of the city getting a just people oriented Outline Development Plan, which should maintain and give the Capital, architecture which is commensurate with its charm and appeal as a heritage town. If that doesn’t happen, then only Fontainhas and Mala will remain, to be used to showcase and remind us what Panjim really was, as it gets immersed in concrete.
Finally, and importantly, the casino shifting plan must be finalised and presented to the public.
While these are broad talking points, the entire expanse of the city’s turnaround and repair is massive. Therefore, stakeholder engagement is paramount as we move forward.
