Team Herald
PONDA: Residents of Kundaim have expressed frustration over the slow progress of the bypass road widening project. They are demanding the work be expedited to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce the frequency of accidents on the existing main road.
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Currently, traffic heading towards Panjim is directed through a one-way stretch of the existing National Highway at Manaswada, Kundaim, while traffic from Panjim to Ponda is diverted to a parallel narrow bypass road.
In recent years, a series of horrific accidents at Manaswada has prompted locals to demand the diversion of two-way traffic through the bypass. They are calling for the urgent completion of the road widening project, which aims to expand the bypass into a four-lane road. The project, initiated last year, has been progressing at a sluggish pace.
Following several fatal accidents at this accident-prone zone, designated as a “black spot” at the Kundaim-Manaswada Junction, residents staged a rasta roko. Their demand was to widen the bypass and redirect heavy vehicles to it, facilitating two-way traffic. In response, the National Highway authorities began the road widening work on the bypass stretch in May 2023, but locals say the progress has been unsatisfactory.
Kundaim Sarpanch Survesh Gaude has appealed to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to intervene and ensure the road widening work is completed promptly. “During minor accidents, even emergency services like the 108 ambulance get stuck in traffic jams,” Gaude stated.
Vijesh Naik, a Kundaim resident, highlighted the severity of the issue, stating, “Several accidents, including fatal ones, have been reported at the Manaswada Junction.”
Efforts to reach the concerned National Highway engineer for comment were unsuccessful, as they were not reachable.
