VIBHA VERMA
Once the legislative, executive, administrative hub and the city where all government events took place in, Panjim can hardly call itself the capital anymore. Not only have the State secretariat and Legislative Assembly been shifted to Porvorim area, all major government functions now take place around Panjim and on Monday the Goa’s Liberation Day function, where the National Flag was unfurled and the CM address was held at Bambolim. All this raises the questions on whether Panjim continues to be capital only in designation.
Activist Sabina Martins said, “There is no vision in Panjim. Everything is haphazard, there is a lot of confusion. No infrastructure is in place. All plans are thrown to the wind. The city is run at the whims and fancies of whoever is in power.” Martins added that Panjim seems to be losing out on its “capital identity”.
The Liberation Day function held at Bambolim, the Shyama Prasad Mukerjee Stadium at Taleigao having emerged as the best venue to hold functions including the inaugural of the International Film Festival of India, the outskirts of Panjim that are more urban in nature than rural, also saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone for Mopa international airport from here.
“There was time when main events like even Goa University’s convocation ceremonies were held at Kala Academy that saw past Presidents Pratibha Patil and A P J Abdul Kalam gracing the occasion. This has now shifted to Taleigao. Similarly many other functions are routed to different places. This shows that Panjim needs to be upgraded,” Saurabh Dhume, a law graduate said.
On the other hand, former Panjim Mayor Ashok Naik supports the shifting of events out of Panjim even as he commented that the name of the capital city is historical. “The city is congested and lacks space. There are parking problems, it is better that the programmes are held outside Panjim,” he said.
“Panjim has grown over the last few years. Considering this, including it in the smart city plan should have a vision for the next 30-40 years. A lot of things have come up but the city lacks amenities. It needs to be upgraded,” Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte said.
