Decongesting Panjim
At last, our city fathers are finally waking up, seeking to decongest the State capital after years of seemingly insurmountable challenges, perhaps even unresponsiveness. Decades ago, an effort was made by introducing a `city bus’ service, hoping to alleviate the woes of office-goers, but it flopped.
The introduction of ferry services to ease pressure on roads met a premature death, primarily because the network of shuttle services within the city was unpredictable. People looked forward to quick, reliable and punctual service.
The bus lobby failed to rise up to the occasion. Buses left bus stops on whim, depending on the “filling capacity” of passengers. This was the genesis of the abject failure of the system. Buses were slow, erratic and over congested, prompting owners of private vehicles to bring their vehicles into the city. Result: hundreds of two wheelers and four wheelers now daily jostle for a parking slot, adding to chaos in the city.
Of course, efforts to streamline matters were made, but these were in fits and starts, so to say. There was even talk of “hop-on hop-off bus system” in some areas of the city, but never was there comprehensive planning. The pay-parking in the market area had its limits and was localised. Successive
candidates contesting the Panjim seat put up varied claims in their election manifesto, promising to decongest the city on a priority, but nothing effective really transpired nor did the ruling class initiate any visible pro-active measures.
The Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) now thankfully has come forth with a Rs 800 crore city
mobility plan with preliminary talks already held with international experts envisaging a tram service, a monorail alignment connecting the Kadamba bus stand via Bhatlem to the PWD garage plot and multi-storied parking spaces.
One of the easiest tricks adopted by administrators to decongest areas is to impose a heavy toll on parking. This line of thinking is reflected in the new scheme of things for Panjim too, but it would be unfair to tag it “anti-people” until the entire plan unfolds.
The positive aspect of the decongestion plan is to take into account the use of water ways and introduction of tram service/monorail. Readers will recall the existence of ferry services from Dona Paula to Mormugao, which helped ease road pressure. The CCP mobility plan also pushes for pedestrian pathways and footbridges. Why not the concept of introducing CCP-owed bicycles for use within city limits?
There is little doubt that Surendra Furtado who is heading the CCP has seriously set about meeting his plans for Panjim. The government could even examine the idea of setting up a metro network for traffic entering Panjim from Old Goa, Bambolim or even Porvorim, as part of its long-term strategy to decongest Panjim.
But, for the moment, the longest serving corporator has a good idea of the problems and challenges facing the beleaguered capital and therefore is the right person at the right place. With domestic tourists now preferring to arrive in large vehicles, the ills of congestion facing the state capital is poised to get worse. There’s therefore an urgent need to support the decongestion plan from all quarters.
