Team Herald
PANJIM: For the tired residents of Panjim enduring road blockages, barricades, and dug-up roads for seven years, the nightmarish experience unleashed by the Smart City works is far
from over.
Fresh from missing the High Court-given deadline of March 31, Sanjit Rodrigues, CEO of Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), had a pithy answer on Tuesday: “Wait until
May 31.”
Rodrigues was addressing the press, where he faced tough questions about the missed deadlines. But he did not – or could not – clearly specify the date by which the work would finish and Panjim finally become ‘smart’. He acknowledged that the work on Taad Maad Road near Caculo Mall at St Inez remains unfinished due to certain ‘complexities’, which require additional time for
completion.
“I will follow my affidavit, and the court is monitoring the process. I can only provide updates as per the status, which is being supervised by the court. I cannot override the court’s queries. I am answering very clearly to the court’s questions,”
he said.
When asked why the project was delayed for so long, Rodrigues explained, "Many smart cities, including Panjim, requested an extension of the deadline from the Central Government. The Centre set March 31 as the final date. It’s not that I extended or shortened the project timeline; the mission was supposed to end on March 31.”
Rodrigues further argued that, from the Central government’s perspective, most of the work has been completed, and only finishing touches remain. “Ninety per cent of the work is done,” he said. “All road network work has been completed as per the deadlines specified in the affidavit submitted to the High Court. However, the final tasks, including the laying of bituminous concrete, road markings, traffic signage installation, and rectification of areas affected by deep digging, will be completed by May 31.”
As of April 1, Rodrigues assured, there will be no road closures, barricading, open trenching, or digging in central Panjim under the Smart City Mission. "If any such work is happening, it is unrelated to this project,” he stated.
Rodrigues also clarified that roads such as A B Road, 18 June Road and Pandurang Pissurlekar Road do not fall under the scope of the Smart City Mission. “We have been very clear that these roads cannot be included in the Smart City Mission due to the central drains running through them,” he explained. According to him, the State government is aware of this issue and has allocated a special budget for addressing these roads in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Talking about the work in Ribandar, Rodrigues confirmed that both sewage and road works have been completed. "I mentioned this in the affidavit and in my previous press conference,” he said. “The final layer of Bituminous Concrete (BC), along with road markings and traffic signage installation, will begin on April 1 and is expected to be completed by May 31. Landscaping and tree plantation will take place from June 1 to June 30, 2025,” he added.