Teaam Herald
PANJIM: Apart from being the key host of International Film Festival of India (IFFI), a known destination for film shooting, problems continue to haunt the residents of the State capital.
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Though Panjim is considered to be a developed city and everything appears to be smooth, the city too has its fair share of problems.
Some issues that are visible and crave for attention include haphazard parking, lack of a wet waste management site, besides major issues of off-shore casinos in River Mandovi and the contaminated St Inez Creek. Flooding at Mala, poor road conditions, blocked drains, are other issues that the voters here, are looking for solution.
“This is going to be my second Assembly election as voter of Panjim; but the problems like St Inez Creek, garbage, flooding, exist since my childhood. I have heard my dad talking about these issues and promises being made to resolve them. But till date, they continue to trouble us,” Anand Nayak, a mechanical engineer, said.
One heavy monsoon shower and certain areas like the road to Miramar, the entire 18 June Road, the road outside the police headquarters, St Inez junction and the bus stand get inundated. In the Mala area, the problem is more complex and experts say that constructions have blocked the flow of water which then finds its way into the low lying areas of Mala.
“The only solution in the vision of those in power is to reconstruct the city’s drains in place of the decades old drains constructed during the Portuguese rule. Years of negligence had led to choking of St Inez Creek and Rua-de-Ourem. There has to be proper corrective measures,” Mariano Silveira, a retired government servant from the city, explained.
Garbage is a long-pending issue and off late some efforts have been made to resolve it like door-to-door garbage collection, treatment facility beyond Heera Petrol pump, etc. The Bainguinim Waste Treatment Plant Project, a decade in planning, seems to be heading nowhere.
“Garbage issue is been taken care slowly but we need a permanent solution, so that we don’t see heaps of waste on the road side, market areas, residential areas, etc. Also we don’t want to welcome people with foul odour,” Silveria added.
The St Inez Creek, running right from Caranzalem to behind Old GMC complex, has been crying for attention for decades. While on the one hand the government talks about developing Panjim as Smart City, ironically the creek remains highly contaminated, devoid of oxygen and aquatic life, and stinks leading to severe environmental pollution.
“There is no political will to clean or beautify St Inez Creek. The only reason is that no one wants to act upon the huts and shanties, located along the bank of the water body, that release sewerage into the creek. It is a known fact, that occupants of these huts are vote bank of politicians. I am resident of St Inez and during monsoon, the stink is unbearable. At Tonca, Camrabhat area, the water enters into houses during rains, still no action,” Walter Gomes, a resident said.
Residents are also not happy with the casinos. “We are strongly opposing the casino culture. Casinos is cause of traffic jams, haphazard parking, crowding, illegalities….list goes on. We don’t want casinos here,” Abhijit Vernekar said.
