Panjim is at the receiving end due to the Smart City Mission works. As it seems, currently the focus is on a few interconnecting roads. Let us hope that these roads will be completed at the earliest.
However, there are a few things that authorities concerned should address at earliest. Most of the roads in and around Panjim have open drainage on the sides. This causes difficulties for senior citizens when they have to step down to cross and even vehicle gets trapped. Such drainage needs to be closed at the earliest.
It is likely that on some roads more works are pending therefore there are patchworks on the roads. Such repairs are done by unskilled men and supervised by no engineers and therefore the surface is very uneven and difficult to drive. One can visit Caranzalem road from Adarsh Circle to Taleigao Church or St Inez junction to Bhatlem. Such roads need to be entirely resurfaced at the eatliest for smooth drive.
Cameras are required for the safety of people as they instil fear in the minds of anti-social elements. Cameras also help in case of accidents. So cameras need to be installed not only in Panjim but the entire Goa at critical points. Such camera installation contracts should also include long-term maintenance too.
Traffic lights have a touch and go relationship with Panaji. With a big fanfare, they are installed and people get used to orderly traffic and then again they are silent forever. Surely smart city mission authorities can learn from their earlier experience and rectify what is needed to for orderly traffic in the city.
Gardens are the breathing spaces for the city as well as recreational points for city dwellers. Some gardens are being refurbished and for some other talks are in the air. But it is high time an inventory of gardens within the smart city is prepared along with their status and measures are initiated to have them ready by the next monsoon.
Trees are the lungs of the city and Panjim has practically no scope for planting more trees but that’s the challenge the smart city authority may like to take with experts on board to plant more trees.
The need for public toilets cannot be over-emphasized. It is not that there are no public toilets in Panjim. The point is are they enough, can more be installed?
Recreational areas for the public and tourists are also required. Earlier at Miramar there used to be a movable food court. Hand carts under the regulation of Panjim municipality were catering affordable hygienic food to locals and tourists alike. Due to renovation of the area perhaps they were moved away. They should be brought back with some semi-permanent structure permissible under CRZ rules with more creative ideas? Can the area be equivalent to Sarafa Bazar of Indore or Manek Chawk of Ahmedabad where such evening eating places are tourist attractions?
One can think of a bandstand nearby where every Sunday evening Police band, Military band and other public or private bands or orchestras play for say one hour for the public.
