Team Herald
CORTALIM: Traffic jams continued for the third day at Cortalim junction where the construction work of the new Zuari bridge is in full swing.
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The vehicle owners were left high and dry for hours on either side of the bridge. Many road users complained that the erection of barricades was causing a traffic jam at the Cortalim junction.
Irrespective of any explanations, the problem is clear. Even a week ago there was an absolute free flow of traffic due to which Verna to GMC could be covered in 20 mins or even less, Now the same distance is taking between 60 to 90 minutes.
The series of barricades on the road just before the Cortalim junction and closure of twin lanes in some stretches has literally choked traffic.
Dilip Buildcon Limited, which is constructing the eight-lane bridge denied that the construction work was causing traffic snarls and opined that it was due to an increase in traffic movement.
Dilip Buildcon Limited vice president (structure) Atul Joshi said, “There has been an increase in the movement of traffic across the Zuari river. During Christmas and New Year Day similar traffic jam was witnessed. Traffic also increases during weekends and it is not due to ongoing construction work.”
Some of these points can and should be challenged
The questions that need to be asked
(1) Is this sudden road blockage an idea of the contactor Dilip Buildcon or the government? Either one or both should explain why?
(2) Who benefits if Goans get stranded in these 1 to 2 hour blockades? What is the purpose?
(3) It cannot be due to a sudden traffic increase since the traffic was smooth and trouble-free during the peak Christmas–New Year period. Where is the increase in traffic now, relative to early January?
(4) If there was a logic behind putting barricades and causing such jams, why was the public kept in the dark?
Reacting to the complaints by commuters regarding the traffic these days at the Cortalim and Agassaim junction, Vasco Traffic Police Inspector Sudesh Narvekar attributed the delays witnessed earlier due to the bridge-related construction work but emphasised that the situation is back to normal now.
Speaking to Herald on Monday, Narvekar said,”Today there is no traffic jam at Cortalim. Last week work was going on the other side of the bridge – that is Agassaim.”
That isn’t quite correct since there were massive jams and holds ups witnessed by many in Herald.
Narvekar added that the said work is completed now and thus the traffic jam issue has been resolved.
One needs to know what exactly the work was and the need for so many barricades.
