Team Herald
PANJIM: Christus Cecilio Lopes, one of the petitioners, has submitted an affidavit along with photographs documenting the ongoing Smart City works being carried out by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), which has led to an unprecedented level of chaos in the city for nearly three years.
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In his affidavit, Lopes presented 25 photographs of the ongoing works at various locations in the capital city, including stretches of roads that are completely blocked for vehicular traffic due to the ongoing construction.
The petitioners have provided photographs of works taking place at Azad Maidan, Bhatlem, Mala, Miramar, and the Chimbel Junction area.
During the last hearing on February 17, the petitioner’s counsel, Adv Abhijit Gosavi, informed the Court that additional materials would be submitted, showing that more roads had been dug up, causing significant inconvenience to residents and road users. The petitioners’ counsel also claimed that the road works were being carried out in a haphazard manner, causing immense distress to both motorists and the general public.
In its affidavit, IPSCDL stated that the road works in Panjim will be completed by March 31, 2025, and the roads will be made operational. The affidavit also mentioned that other ancillary works, such as landscaping and tree plantation, would be completed by June 30, 2025. Additionally, it included a status update with a timeline of the works carried out under the Smart City project/AMRUT 1.0.
The High Court is currently hearing two public interest litigation (PIL) writ petitions filed by Piyush Panchal, Alwyn D’Sa, and Neelam Navelkar, as well as Christus C Lopes and Sadanand Vaingankar.
