Traffic change at Margao leaves Churchill fuming

MARGAO, NOV 10
PWD Minister Churchill Alemao was left fuming while Chief Minister Digambar Kamat gave his stamp of approval to traffic changes introduced in the commercial capital on Wednesday barring short distance buses from taking a round of the Margao Municipal garden.
When the bus operators called on the chief minister in the district Collectorate this morning with their grievances, Kamat point blank told them there’s no question of any rethink on the move, saying the new measures would be closely monitored for a fortnight.
That’s not all. The chief minister even directed the traffic police and the district authorities to submit report on the efficacy of the measures every three days.
The agitated bus operators – operating on the short distance route from Margao to Davorlim, Housing Board, Navelim and other areas – later approached PWD Minister, who rushed to the Collectorate with the operators and travelling public from his Navelim constituency.
He demanded to know from Collector G P Naik why the new measures have banned only buses travelling from Margao to his Navelim constituency. “I understand the concern of the chief minister to ease traffic congestion in Margao, but at the same time, it should not affect the travelling public and operators from these areas,” he told Naik.
The district Collector gave the PWD Minister a patient hearing and convinced him that the measures are purely implemented on an experimental basis and would be notified only if the results come positive.
After much discussion, the PWD minister gave the authorities a week time to test the new measures, and added that the measures should be scrapped if they fail to achieve the desired purpose.
He also called for a joint meeting with the Chief Minister, Collector, transport and traffic authorities and the bus operators after one week.
This morning, the traffic cops including DySP Gajanan Prabhudesai and PI Prabodh Prabhudessai were on the field to implement the measures wherein short distance routes buses plying from Margao to Davorlim, Housing Board, Ramnagar, Navelim and other areas were told take the Gaylin road at Ana Fonte garden instead of taking a turn at the Municipal garden.
Justifying the move, DySP Traffic, Prabhudessai said that a total of 130 buses, including these buses avail the old bus stand facility to alight and pick up passengers. “We have touched only 40 buses plying on the Davorlim, Housing Board route by banning them from taking a round of the Municipal garden as per the permit conditions”, he said.
As expected, the plan evoked strong objections from the bus operators, who demanded immediate withdrawal of the traffic pattern.
The operators later called on the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and traffic officials in the Collectorate and demanded withdrawal of the traffic pattern.
A bus operator Elvis Fernandes said the decision is not acceptable to the short distance route bus operators, saying they were never taken into confidence before implementing the decision. 
Terming the decision as bad, another operator demanded to know why the authorities have not extended the ban on other short distance route buses and the long distance buses from Ponda, besides the tourist buses.