PANJIM: Ward No 11 of the Corporation of the City of Panaji, which covers the Campal heritage area with age-old Portuguese houses, is facing a major issue of illegal parking, which has remained unresolved due to lack of support from the authorities despite the corporator’s effort.
The ward, represented by Atanasio Monserrate-backed former deputy mayor Kabir Makhija, starts from Karimabad Society and includes Campal Khadinth, Landscape Pinto Park, Campal Heritage Precinct and the market residential area.
The total number of voters is 798. The residents are facing problems such as parking of all kinds of vehicles including tourist buses, garbage; people consuming alcohol and chilling out at night creating an unsafe environment, etc.
The ward, which is now reserved for women – houses some of the known landmarks of the city including Kala Academy, D B Football Ground, Panjim Gymkhana, Parade Ground, Menezes Braganza Garden, etc.
When contacted, Makhija said that the Campal heritage precinct continues to receive step motherly treatment from the authorities, especially by mayor Shubham Chodankar. “I was left with no labourers and trucks to lift garbage and debris, as a result, parts of market area suffered,” he said.
The ward residents have high regard for Kabir, whose effort to ban unwanted commercial exhibitions at Kala Academy and Campal ground, provided them a sigh of relief.
“It was Kabir, who had put up before the council that exhibitions should be banned in the city areas. This was all because of various problems faced by the residents including parking and garbage,” a resident from market area said.
Being young and a first-time corporator, Makhija did quite a good job. It includes his opposition to the proposed Kala Academy Annexe getting temporary stop work order from CCP, no to exhibitions in Campal, pay parking plan for Campal heritage precinct (which was however, later called off by CCP).
While this ward has nothing to complain about, the only challenge before the new corporator would be to maintain Campal’s heritage beauty. The ward which is reserved for women, Kabir has fielded his sister Soraya on Monserrate panel against BJP backed Bharati Heble.
