Team Herald
PANJIM: The six-lane elevated corridor project at Porvorim has forced the people staying along the road to face dust pollution and prepare for respiratory diseases.
Residents are questioning who will be responsible for the respiratory diseases that will be caused due to the pollution or who will take care of those who are already suffering from diseases like Asthma.
It has been barely a few months since the work started, but it has thrown the lives of the people haywire. A thick layer of dust has gathered on the walls of the buildings and the vehicles parked there, giving enough indication of how much people are suffering due to the work. To protect themselves from the polluted air filled with minute dust particles, people have covered some parts of their houses with plastic and steel sheets.
The residents of the area questioned why there is no standard operating procedure (SOP) during the execution of the project and why the different departments of the government cannot work in coordination, so that people are not inconvenienced?
Parekh Shirodkar, proprietor of a restaurant, admitted that there has declined in the business as dust was entering and gathering on tables and chairs.
“The main problem being faced is dust pollution. Everybody is facing this problem. Then there is traffic congestion. However, we cannot do anything as it is a central project. As there is too much traffic congestion on the road, customers are avoiding to visit the shops as they are not finding space to park their two or four wheelers,” he said.
It is not only the residents who are at the receiving end of the project. Commuters travelling between Mapusa and Panjim are also grappling with hardships caused by dust pollution and bad roads.
Former Socorro panchayat member Soter D’Souza said, “We are facing heavy dust pollution. The internal roads which we use now to avoid highways have been tarred suddenly. Sewage work has started near Sanjay School. It has become dangerous for two wheelers. In the traffic congestion the two wheelers are affected as there are no dedicated lanes for two wheelers. All the vehicles are trying to avoid rough patches. Nothing has been discussed with the locals.”
“When the work was started all the departments must have got together and decided what they were going to do. Why should a citizen go to high court and then you tell the high court what you are going to do to mitigate the problem. This should be part of the standard operating procedure. Without people having to ask it should have been incorporated,” he said.
D’Souza asked why the citizens should suffer after electing a government and paying their hard earned money in form of taxes.
“It is ridiculous that you do not do anything and every time citizens have to knock on the door of the court to make you move,” he said.
Manoj Pawaskar, a daily commuter to the city, said that life has become horrible for those who come to Panjim for work.
“I come to Panjim daily for work. Driving a two-wheeler has become very risky. Most of the time there is traffic congestion in the morning and evening. But what to do? We just have to bear it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the village panchayat of Socorro has issued a public notice informing villagers that a detailed presentation of the construction of a six lane elevated corridor is fixed on December 11, 2024 at the panchayat office at 11 am.