Team Herald
PANJIM: In their rush to tar the roads and try to finish patchwork repairs by March 31, the Smart City authorities seem to have forgotten the debris dug up and left behind at many places in Panjim.
An O Heraldo inspection showed that stretches such as SV Road, from Geeta Bakery to DB Road Junction, the Market to DB Road and behind Signal Training Centre Headquarters, have huge piles of debris that have made movement for both, traffic and pedestrians,
difficult.
According to the residents at some locations the debris has been piling for a month and the contractors do not care to take it away.
Harun Sheikh, a shop owner in the market, said, "The debris has been here for a month now and customers hesitate to come to the shop. We have no idea when the work is going to get completed."
According to Kashim Mulla, a bus driver, the debris was making it difficult to manoeuvre
the vehicles.
“We are also finding it difficult to park the vehicles at the regular parking spot. I hope that these debris are removed soon,"
he said.
Prakash Naik, a staffer at a shop in the market, said that the breeze was blowing dust into the shop, leaving the establishment filled with dirt. When the wind blows in the afternoon or the evening, the dust flies into the shops forcing us to clean the floors and items kept in the shop more frequently."
An auto driver, on the condition of anonymity, said," Is this a smart city work? Who will call it smart? See the condition of the roads. There is so much debris piled up.
Nobody cares about the common man walking on the street."
Authorities seek fresh deadline in court
PANJIM: The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has requested an extension from the High Court to complete the ongoing Smart City work along the Taad-Maad stretch at St Inez. Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the court on Wednesday that the project is now expected to be completed by the end of May.
According to Pangam, the delay is primarily due to the need for additional precautions in handling a crucial 12-metre sewerage line that runs from Taad-Maad to the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). He explained that the line must be carefully managed to avoid damage to a parallel sewerage line and a gas pipeline in the area. "The work there is delicate," Pangam added.
The govt also informed the Court that, aside from a few locations facing technical challenges, all other road and sewerage projects under the Smart City initiative have been completed as per the schedule outlined in the initial submission.
In response to the High Court’s request for an update, the IPSCDL submitted an affidavit detailing the current status of infrastructure projects under the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT 1.0.
The report, which covers work completed up to March 31, 2025, also includes timelines for the remaining work, set for completion by May 31 and June 30, 2025.
The High Court accepted the affidavit and noted the request for additional time to complete the 200 meters of sewerage work from Taad-Maad to the STP at Tonca, where ongoing construction has caused delays. The IPSCDL provided further explanations for the delay in the affidavit, including annexures for judicial review.
In response to the court’s observations, a senior spokesperson from IPSCDL assured, "We acknowledge the observations and views expressed by the High Court, and we will work round-the-clock to ensure the remaining work is completed within the deadlines of May 31 and June 30, 2025."