If you take away the daily traffic jams, the bad roads, the weak bridge, there’s a lot to admire in Borim. The beautiful village located in a scenic environment on the banks of River Zuari, falls in Shiroda constituency in Ponda taluka.
The eleven-member-strong panchayat is trying to usher in development in the village, while also dealing with various issues that go beyond just the road related issues
From frequent power breakdowns, to water shortage, there are a plenty of problems. Sarpanch Bhavana Naik stated that the panchayat along with the cooperation of the MLA Subhash Shirodkar are trying to solve these problems.
It may be recalled that the villagers recently passed a resolution demanding that the authorities solve the major traffic congestion issues.
For perspective, the highway passing through Borim receives heavy traffic from Ponda, Shiroda, Sanvordem, Margao, Panjim and even from places in Karnataka such as Belgaum and Karwar.
Further, after the diversion of heavy traffic from the Cortalim junction, Borim has been burdened with additional traffic.
Worse, there is no break period when it comes to traffic. During the day or the night, there’s always a long line of heavy vehicles, containers, trucks as well as buses and smaller light vehicles.
“This non-stop movement of vehicles and long queues on the road can be compared to a wall in the middle of the village, which makes it difficult for villagers residing on either side of the road to move around,” said a local.
He lamented that it creates problems for neighbours to cross over to the other side.
“Whenever we alight from the bus, especially during rush hour, we have to wait for ten to fifteen minutes to cross the road,” added another local.
The situation has become so bad that the locals decided to stage a protest blocking the roads, in order to get the attention of the government, who had ignored their earlier pleas. They had also passed a resolution demanding that PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar widens the roads in the village.
They highlighted how there are massive delays at the time of any minor accident or vehicle breakdowns. Due to the narrow roads, these incidents force other vehicles to halt and as a result, the queue increases and the traffic speed decreases. “Not to mention, the amount of air pollution it causes due to the burning of fuel,” quips another local.
In order to overcome this problem, locals have suggested that the road from Bythokhol to Sakhwar is widened at the earliest. They point out that the National Highway Authority of India has already acquired land for the same.
They have also suggested the internal road passing behind Navadurga should also be widened, which would help decongest the village at a time of any major traffic jam.
But their major complaint is regarding the delay in working on the new Borim Bridge.
Against the backdrop of recent complaints and action taken by the PWD regarding the condition of the existing bridge, locals highlight that the route is an important link for traffic. They warn that thousands of people and vehicles who commute from North to South will affected badly if the bridge collapses.
The old bridge constructed in 1986 has deteriorated and locals worry that the number of heavy vehicles passing over it is more than its carriage capacity.
Deputy Sarpanch Constancio Luis and Panch Member Sunil Sawkar, who have been following up on the new bridge proposal expressed fear that the old bridge may collapse at any time and reiterated their demand that an alternative arrangement be made ready at the earliest.
Locals have even suggested reconstructing the abandoned Portuguese-era Bridge so that it is a temporary option if there is any major emergency.
Finally, there have also been demands for a bypass road, which would free the village from the continuous flow of heavy traffic.
While the PWD and NHAI authorities are carrying out frequent repairs and monitoring the Borim Bridge, the government is working on its plans for the new bridge and the bypass. Sources stated that the work is awaiting approval from the central government, which would also depend on when all other major pending national highway works in Goa are completed.
