Road closures, diversions and parking areas announced in Vasco as Saptah begins today

VASCO: The Vasco Traffic Cell on Friday issued an advisory for the 125th Saptah festival, which begins in Vasco on Saturday.

The Swatantra Path road will be closed to all types of vehicular traffic from St Andrew’s Church junction to the IOC junction starting Saturday, until August 16. Similarly, the road from Bombay Auto Parts up to the Old Electricity Department office near Vasco Court will be barricaded and closed to all vehicular traffic.

All traffic coming to/from Vasco/Mormugao will be diverted to FL Gomes Road, and no parking will be allowed on the road from the New KTC bus stand to Church junction.

Parking will be allowed at the KTC Bus Stand, near Tanya Hotel (open space parking), and on other internal roads near State Bank of India and Tilak Maidan. No movement of heavy vehicles will be allowed on August 10 from 10 am to midnight on August 11 and from August 12 to 16, from 4.30 pm to 10 pm.

Parking arrangements for four-wheelers and two-wheelers have been made near Tanya Hotel open ground, Vasco. The Vasco Traffic Cell  PI Shailesh A Narveka has requested the public to cooperate with traffic police to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. Meanwhile, a portion of FL Gomes Road near the IOC junction was temporarily opened to vehicular traffic ahead of the Saptah festival. The road was previously closed due to the construction of an up ramp, which will connect the town to the four-lane port connectivity flyover.

The opening of FL Gomes Road is likely to decongest traffic in Vasco. Devotees are expected to throng the Lord Damodar Temple in Vasco during the Saptah festival.  Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar has urged the government to accord Vasco Bhajani Saptah the official status of a cultural festival of Goa, as it completes the historic milestone of 125 years, and to release grants for the organisation of the festival.