The official nar rative is that key infra structure projects under the Smart City Mission are nearly complete — but for many Panjim residents who navigate the city dai ly, the reality is far from smooth. The spine-jarring condition of several major roads continues to frus trate commuters, residents and business owners alike. Four crucial roads re main incomplete — se verely affecting traffic flow and pedestrian access. The affected stretches include 18th June Road, Atmaram Borkar Road, Dr Pandurang Pissurlekar Road, and Rua de Ourem Road. Work was halted ahead of the monsoon and has not resumed since.
While adverse weather was initially blamed for the de lays, Rua de Ourem Road faces further complications due to upcoming sewerage work by the Sewerage and Infra structural Development Corporation of Goa (SIDCGL). A senior official from Imagine Panaji Smart City Devel opment Limited (IPSCDL), the Special Purpose Vehicle overseeing implementation of the mission, told O Heraldo that work on MG Road, Atmaram Borkar Road and Dr Pan durang Pissurlekar Road is expected to resume once clear ance is granted by the IPSCDL board. Rua de Ourem Road, however, will only move forward once SIDCGL completes its planned interventions. “There is no crunch of funds. We have assured the gov ernment that the work will be taken up. The problem is that many projects were taken up simultaneously before the monsoon arrived. So it was decided to complete ongoing works first before taking up new ones,” the offi-cial said. In the meantime, the prolonged stagnation in roadwork has led to growing public resentment. Incomplete stretch es have made both vehicular and pedestrian movement hazardous, with reports of traffic snarls, poor lighting, and inaccessible footpaths. Lack of proper signage has only added to the risks. “It’s been months since any visible progress was made. The roads are dug up in parts and footpaths are inaccessi ble. We were hopeful that by the end of the monsoon things would improve, but there’s still no clear timeline,” said a shop owner near Atmaram Borkar Road. Elsewhere, progress on other Smart City projects contin ues at varying speeds. As of September 30, 2025, according to official estimate, around 87% of the Pedestrian Spine and Revitalisation of the Patto area was completed. The construction of a 2000m³ Ground Level Service Reservoir, a 650m³ Overhead Reservoir, and pipeline interconnec tions at Altinho has reached 95% completion. However, soft landscaping in the Patto area is significantly delayed, with only 20% of the work completed. Similarly, just 55% of the Ribandar Community Market de-velopment has been finished under the Smart Cities Mission. Despite these developments, the condition of Panaji’s roads remains a glaring issue — one that undermines the very premise of the Smart City initiative. Unless IPSCDL, SIDCGL and other agencies coordinate and expedite pend ing works, the convenience and safety of citizens will re main compromised. Earlier this year, the Union government had called upon states to empower SPVs to charge a ‘centage’ fee from State or Union Territory governments for planning, designing, and implementing centrally or state-funded schemes. The goal was to enhance the financial and opera-tional auton omy of SPVs. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had also urged states and UTs to integrate SPVs and Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) into their long-term governance frameworks, to sustain the benefits achieved under the Smart City Mission. Interestingly, some of the more glaring potholes in Pan jim were only addressed recently — using jet patching ma chines — after opposition parties mounted pressure. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which launched a campaign titled “BJPche Burak”, was at the forefront of the pub-lic outcry. But permanent and smart solutions are what the city’s denizens are looking forward to.
