VASCO: Traffic jam at Cortalim has become a part of life for the Goans minding their jobs. Often the working class gets caught in the traffic jams for no fault. The condition is worsening as New Year’s Eve is on the horizon.
Saturday was no different for the people. The traffic jam today extended from Cortalim roundabout till the Goa Velha bypass and also clogged the road from Cortalim to Vasco, Margao and all internal roads too.
It took hours to reach Cortalim from Verna which normally takes minutes. Three lanes of traffic moving towards Panjim were squeezing into a single lane till all intersections. People complained that there was very scanty or no police presence while commuters struggled to reach their destinations.
A government employee Sahil Naique, who was stuck for hours in traffic said, “No need to close or divert the road if traffic police do their duty properly. They seem to be least bothered and ill informed to handle the traffic. The responsibility is being put to Home Guards”.
He said that the traffic police need to be empowered to take licences and suspend the ones who are blocking the traffic flow by driving out of the designated lanes, including two-wheelers. “If traffic police takes punitive action, surely there won’t be a need to divert any vehicles”, he added.
A resident of Vasco, Floriano Fernandes said, “I wonder how putting barricades at such major intersections helps regulate traffic. There is no science applied here and the result is that the entire traffic remains jammed for hours together.”
Some pointed out that the road condition before the Zuari Bridge at Cortalim has to be blamed for the jams. The work for repairs of this road has to be taken up with utmost priority.
A commuter said, “Zuari Bridge contractor has been assigned the job of constructing proper service roads at the stretch however he seems to be ignorant of this work.”
Dilip Hegde, a regular commuter on the route pointed out that a large number of interstate buses leave for Mumbai and Pune at 5 pm from Margao and those moving towards South, from Panjim. Incidentally, the road remains congested between 5 pm to 8 pm and similarly between 7.30 and 10.30 am.
“Can these buses be mandated to ply on a different route or on specific timings so that there is some relief to Goans?” he wondered.
The people of Goa who face the troubles always may be in a better position to give solutions to the traffic fiasco. A person caught up in the traffic on Saturday said, “Actually one bus can transfer approximately 50 commuters at a stretch. One car however takes maximum of 5 persons. Is it time that the people of Goa are given the best public transport so that the problem is solved for at least a while till the Zuari Bridge is complete?
People complained that there were traffic personnel standing idle while people tried to make their way out from the harrowing traffic jam.
