10 Apr 2024  |   07:15am IST

NH 66 AT MERCES, GOES DOWN THE DRAIN

Portion of newly constructed concrete NH 66 has been cracked open, after National Highway Authority of India failed to install drainage pipeline below the highway

Team Herald

PANJIM: Road traffic went for a tailspin on Tuesday on the Merces to St Cruz stretch of the National Highway 66, as the left lane of the newly constructed stretch of the four-lane national highway has been dug up for the purpose of laying drains.

Due to this digging, the highway stretch from Merces to St Cruz has been closed and the traffic diverted on to the right lane, causing heavy traffic congestion, thus testing the patience of commuters.

Simultaneously, the traffic coming from Bambolim to Panjim on the highway has been diverted on the narrow service lane. One can witness heavy traffic snarl, especially at peak hours on the Bambolim- Panjim highway, and on the service lane where traffic towards Panjim has been diverted. What is even more astonishing is that even as commuters suffer due to the nagging traffic congestion, there is no traffic police in sight to regulate the movement of vehicles.

The problem mounts when the traffic is blocked with heavy vehicles and container trucks, which proceed at a snail’s pace either way. It is a nightmare if one is following any heavy vehicle on the Bambolim-Panjim service lane.

Irate drivers are often seen losing their tempers as they are caught in traffic congestion for over 15 to 20 minutes, which proceeds either way.

It appears that the ordeal of the commuters may just not be over yet, since the drainage pipeline will have to be laid under the right lane of the National Highway stretch.

Angry commuters emphasised on the need for authorities get their act together and do advanced planning while executing such major projects, which affect large sections of the population and tax payers' money.