VASCO: Traffic congestion continues to be a regular feature at the Cortalim junction. The Vasco Traffic Cell has come in for severe criticism from commuters, who have blamed the policemen for the barricading the area “mindlessly”.
According to the daily commuters, the length of the road is reduced to almost half due to “unmindful” barricading by the Vasco Traffic Cell, which has inconvenienced people as they have to face the congestion during off-peak hours at this crucial junction which connects North Goa to South Goa.
“Normally, wherever there is traffic congestion, police deploy traffic policemen to improve vehicular movement along the road to decongest traffic. However, at Cortalim junction it is just the opposite. Whenever this junction is unmanned by police, there is hardly any problem and whenever the traffic police try to control the traffic by erecting barricades, traffic congestion begins at this busy junction and this has become a routine affair, which needs to be resolved,” complained Jotasna Patel, a Dabolim resident who commutes to her workplace at Agassaim.
Like Jotasna, several other commuters whom Herald spoke to, on Thursday afternoon, had similar views to express about traffic congestion at the Cortalim junction. Even the Cortalim Panchayat authorities claimed that traffic congestion at Cortalim junction has become a very serious issue, which needs to be addressed on priority.
When contacted, Sarpanch Hillario Figueiredo said, “I think that the police need to draw some plans to resolve the traffic congestion issue at Cortalim junction. Initially, we thought that due to New Year celebration and increase in the number of vehicles on the state roads, traffic congestion is taking place. However, the situation is same even today. As there is no sign of improvement in traffic movement here, as a local body, we have decided to approach senior officials of police department with the plea to prepare a master plan for this busy junction on priority”.
Extending his full support to the Cortalim Panchayat, Cortalim ZP member Anton Vas said, “I fail to understand as to why traffic police cannot resolve the traffic congestion issue at Cortalim, which is lifeline that connects North to South Goa. We have received several complaints of people missing their flights, office goers reaching late to office only because of traffic congestion at Cortalim”.
In their clarification, the Traffic Cell said, “We have been barricading the road as all the traffic from Margao and Vasco joints at this junction from where the narrow road leads to Zuari Bridge.”
“We have tried our best to improve the situation by deploying a dedicated team of traffic police especially to regulate the traffic. If people maintain lane discipline then the problem could be resolved to a level where traffic would be little smoother from present scenario,” said a traffic policeman at Cortalim junction.
