PANJIM: Even though the people are fed up with the unending and haphazard Smart City work and even though a Public Interest Litigation has been filed against the work, all the Smart City does is postpone deadlines. Smart City has submitted to the court they will now complete road works by 31st March 2025, compared to earlier deadline of 23 February 2025. Herald Media asked people for their comments on this Tarik peh Tarik.
The political party which is ruling Goa is very powerful. Genuine activists who are fighting, find it very difficult to fight with such a powerful government. So unless a largescale revolution takes place on the ground, revolution not to take over power, revolution to get proper services, nothing will change. The roads have not been finished properly. Panjim city is like a war zone. How will this end. Forget about time deadlines. They had given promises to High Court judges last year. Now one year has passed, now further one and half month. It’s not whether they will complete it, they will eventually complete it, but why are they escaping this? They should be taken to task. High Court should take this up Suo Moto and hammer this government.
Armando Gonsalves Resident, Panjim
These deadlines are no different from earlier deadlines. These are all fake and false deadlines. What difference does it make to the CEO of Imagine Panjim Smart City Ltd and to the judiciary? They do not feel the pain that the citizens of Panjim have. So they ( Smart City) make a submission and judiciary accepts it because it is they who undertake the work. The execution is not done by the judiciary, but by the executive. Now this government owned company, which is a special purpose vehicle for Panjim, only we the people of Panjim understand the pain and suffering we have undergone for so many years. They comfortably travel by cars and they don’t feel the pain and suffering we feel. We senior citizens know how we suffer. The roads which were dug earlier, even those deadlines are overrun. There is poor quality work and all sub-standard.
Adv. Rui Ferreira Resident, Panjim
The Smart City Mission has made people cry all these years. Those who come from outside Panjim and those who live in Panjim. They have made Panjimites breathe the dust and pollution. Two people have died, many have broken their bones. Even women who were pregnant lost their babies due to miscarriage. There is so much mess they have created. It is a very sad state of affairs. Even when there is so much digging and there is no place to park they are fining the two wheelers for wrong parking, but they do not find the four wheelers. Till the Smart City work is over do not fine people for wrong parking. With the incessant digging, people are simply fed up.
Tara Kerkar Social Activist