But it has taken just few days of rain in Panjim for it lose its feet.
It’s the same story every year. Before the rains the city’s guardians promise flood-free, pothole-free Panjim roads. But what we see is repetition of the same old story of flooded roads and a broken city.
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Panjim Smart city Mission is the best example of how blindly aping a foreign concept does not help till you assimilate it in the local culture in its true spirit.
Tel Aviv is one of these cities, which made a name for itself as the smartest city with innovation clusters teeming with companies at the cutting edge of technology. Taking cue from this, the Government of India launched Smart City Mission in India to rejuvenate Indian cities by finding solutions to teething urban problems supported by technology.
Panjim too was selected amongst the cities for its project. But seven years down the line, while many other cities like Indore have gone away ahead, Panjim continues to go downhill.
While the concept looked very good on paper, its implementation never looked like a reality.
The mandate of this Mission was to have a lot of citizen consultation and take ideas from people. The Ponjekars actively participated, hoping for a real change. But the way, locals experts and people’s views were not considered seriously, shows that the entire process of so called consultative meets were all a farce. No one actually knows what happened to Rs 1,800 crore allocated for making the city Smart.
The storm water drainage system is in a total mess. A day’s heavy downpour results in flooding everywhere in the city, especially in the low-lying areas.
The roads of Panjim are perhaps worse than you will see in remote areas of India. In fact, the road quality in Sattari is better than that of Panjim.
Storm water drainage is an issue, but it is also a fact that the rampant construction of high rises around Panjim, especially in Caranzalem-Taleigao stretch has led to blockade of natural drainage of excess rain water.
So, no matter how much you upgrade your drainage system, if you’re squeezing the natural way of the water so the drainage won’t be able to ever suffice for that choking that you’re causing them.
The city is witnessing unplanned growth and the problem arises from this fact. The local politicians and bureaucrats are making hay while the city sinks in corruption and incompetent governance.
Every year the quality of roads seem to be deteriorating. The entire road stretch from Kala Academy Miramar circle is riddled with potholes. The Dayanand Bandodkar Road has turned into a nightmare for commuters. The danger of accidents lurks during night when the commuters are not able to sight the potholes at night as the so-called street lights most of the time don’t function.
If these are the signs of a Smart City then it is better that we remain unsmart. The Covid crisis exposed the crumbling healthcare infrastructure of Panjim and entire Goa. Road accidents are continuing unabated. The traffic signals installed on Kala Academy junction and St Inez junction most of the time are found non-functional.
Worst part is there is no accountability. Panjim MLA, CCP Mayor, CCP Commissioner, local corporators – all have to be held accountable for the mess Panjim city is in. Irrespective of who is occupying these positions, Panjim’s situation has far from improved. It is the intent and the prestige of the position that matters. But unfortunately, it has never mattered to anyone.
The politicians are more interested in making communally sensitive remarks but none show the same vigour towards saving their city. Known to be a tourism hub, Goa’s capital city is in shambles. If politicians can’t do anything, then it is time the people take the cudgels and take to the streets. The taxpayers’ money can’t just go down the drain like this.
