One interpretation of the name is that Panjim is said to mean the “land that never gets flooded”. The recent floods have exposed the inherent weakness that has crept in the capital city. Episodic flooding in Panjim, even during low tides is directly linked to rapid urbanisation and consequent damage to existing drainage systems. In a recent interview a government official, tried to pass off the floods, as due to the concretisation. So, how did Panjim get concretised to such dangerous levels? Was there no planning or foresight involved at all. Moreover, now that the cause has been discovered what are the immediate steps being taken and why wait until the onset of the monsoons to even begin the rectification process? Did they not know that Goa has monsoons, from time immemorial, during the same four months?
The preparation work could have been started one or even two months prior to the “normal monsoon period” thereby opening the blocked drainage system well in advance
Panjim is planning to embark on a Smart City plan. I would like to give a very basic definition of a smart city. A smart city is an urban area which is highly advanced in terms of infrastructure, real estate or housing facility, markets, communication and commuting facilities. It is a city where information technology is high and all essential services are easily available for the residents.
A smart city has a systematic plan, good citizens, business opportunities, sustainable environment and efficient traffic management. It provides assured water and electrical supply, sanitisation and waste management, safety and security of citizens. Panjim’s attempt to be a smart city is laughable.
The entire exercise will only provide luxury cars and villas to the planners and the inner circle, the poor Panjimite will pay for those. The entire concept of Panjim as a smart city is not viable and whoever is promoting it is taking all of us on a very dangerous slippery path. What Panjim needs is a few smart people or even half smart people. What Panjim does not need is these over smart people. What the people in charge should concentrate on instead, should be the improvement of basic necessities like water, electrical supply, sanitisation and waste management. Water contamination problem has plagued the city on several occasions.
The roads are in shambles. Good roads are dug up and replaced with inferior quality ones, ostensibly to fill up the pockets of the contractors and thereby the kickbacks involved. A good example is the Dona Paula-Miramar road. The pothole repair ritual is repeated every month and the pothole reappears magically within a few days. Why are the concerned ministries, ministers and civic bodies not being held responsible? Who is letting them off and why? Surely, a simple investigation will expose chicanery and corruption.
These are the burning issues that need to be resolved first before talk of Smart City is brought up again. Then and only then, can we even think about Panjim as a Smart City.
