All those who understand Hindi are familiar with the couplet of Sant Kabir Das, “Kal karein so aaj kar, aaj karein so ab. Pal mein parlay hoyegi, bahuri karega kab” (Finish tomorrow’s tasks today, today’s tasks right now. The world could end in a moment, then when would you finish them?). Looks like Chief Minister Pramod Sawant took the couplet quite literally and has decided to act upon it regardless of the consequences, marching ahead as “bhivpachi garaz na” (No need to worry) reigns.
The CM announced on Tuesday that his government has taken a decision to continue the ongoing Smart City works in the capital, Panjim, and keep digging trenches during the monsoon this year, to lay out the sewerage lines across the city and then finish the city’s development with concrete roads. The Chief Minister has categorically stated that the earlier decision to stop the works being carried out by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation Limited (IPSCDL) by June 15, has been reversed, and instead of waiting for the monsoon to withdraw, the government will take the rain head-on and perhaps ensure that the engineering marvel (concrete roads) is gifted to the residents of Panjim as the post-monsoon gift.
It is appalling to know about the newfound love for concrete roads. Are the pathetic conditions of the Dona Paula–Miramar road and the NH 66 proof enough to come to terms that concrete roads are not a feasible choice for the coastal State?
If there was an iota of doubt whether the capital city and its peripheral areas will inundate during monsoon, then the Chief Minister and his government by the recent decision on the ongoing works have put an end to the question. With hardly a fortnight for the monsoon to set in, it’s just a matter of time to witness how Panjim resembles one of the third-world countries waiting for help from developing and first-world nations. Staying aloof from the drama, Panjim MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate has stated that he has not interfered in the issue and will wait and watch. Ensuring that the municipality does not have to bear the brunt of people’s anger in case of the expected unpleasant events, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) too has washed its hands off the preparations for the disaster in the making.
For a reality check and to get hands-on exposure to what is in store during the monsoon, one must drive across the Capital city. With limited efforts in action, drains, nullahs and the two creeks of Panjim are still choked with debris and garbage. Roads are dug everywhere and despite holiday time for educational institutions, traffic congestion is the order of the day and one can only imagine what will be the state when it pours down heavily accompanied by a high tide.
On the other hand, there is hardly a municipal or panchayat ward in the State where citizens have not faced hardships due to erratic or no supply of potable water. While warriors for Goa are staging protests against the government’s inability to block Karnataka’s plans to divert the Mhadei waters, locals are up in arms due to a constant shortage of water supply. The claims of the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme have fallen flat and with the scorching heat people in the State are waiting for the arrival of monsoon. However, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Goa last week alerted that the arrival of monsoon this year could be delayed by atleast 4-5 days.
Amidst the chaos, those with taps running dry are currently reciting the Marathi poem, “Ye re, ye re pausa, tula deto paisa, paisa zala khota, paus alaa motha”. However, those facing the brunt of haphazard ‘development’ work across the State, especially the Smart City of Panjim, are reciting the English rhyme, “Rain rain go away, come again another day, Smart works are here to stay, rain rain go away”.
