No solution yet to perennial traffic woes in Margao
TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: A new academic year has just begun, but there’s still no solution to the perennial traffic woes facing the commercial capital.
Staggered timings for schools, mooted to ease traffic congestion, stand confined to the papers, while manpower shortage has come in the way of effective regulation of traffic at sensitive points across the city. The Comba area of the city is the worst affected, with most of the educational institutions located in the area within a radius of 2-3 kms. Bumper-to-bumper traffic is literally the order of the day in and around Comba roads during peak hours. And movement of traffic comes to a halt all along the roads in the area, especially during peak hours, when the railway crossing is closed for traffic. It takes a long time to restore traffic at the level crossing for want of any regulation by the traffic cops as was evident on Tuesday, when chaotic scenes prevailed along the roads heading to the educational institutions. Surprisingly, though the subway was built around half-a-decade ago, the approach road leading to the educational institutions run by Vidya Vikas Mandal is yet to be widened to bear the increasing traffic load.
The Margao Traffic Cell, which is struggling to regulate the city traffic, is facing severe manpower constraints. The cell has around 14 traffic personnel and has at its disposal 20 Home Guard personnel to man traffic. If sources are to be believed, the traffic cell requires minimum 40 personnel to effectively regulate 19 mandatory traffic points. In the absence of manpower, some of the points are left unmanned, resulting in traffic chaos.
Incidentally, when Manohar Parrikar returned back as the Chief Minister a year ago, he strengthened the traffic cell with additional policemen, but the situation has come back to full circle.
Says Margao Traffic Cell In-charge, PI Prabodh Shirwaikar, “Because of rains, we find additional cars on the roads in the last few days. Parents too drop their wards to school by cars, adding to the problem”.
What’s surprising is the fact that the Ring Road project remains only part completed for reasons best known to the authorities, defeating the very purpose behind the project. In the absence of any parking lot in the city, the portion of the ring road project from the Comba rail crossing to the Pedda footbridge, is used for vehicular parking, especially by vehicles transporting school students.
On staggered timings for the city schools, especially those located between the old bus stand and Comba, PI Shirwaikar said the proposal would be again discussed at the traffic committee meeting scheduled later this month.
