FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: It appears that traffic snarls are here to stay. The total closure of Atal Setu caused traffic chaos in the State’s capital city as the traffic movement from Porvorim and Merces came to a complete halt. An absolute sign of immense mismanagement. A far cry from the “how’s the josh” days when there was excitement over the ‘wonder’ that Atal Setu was billed as.
The traffic jam continued throughout the day and during peak hours a massive queue of vehicles moving bumper to bumper was witnessed from Delfino's stretch in Porvorim upto Merces.
It is pertinent to note that North Goa Collector Mamu Hage has ordered the closure of the Atal Setu till March 27 during day and night time to shift heavy machines used for mastic cooking and resurfacing works. The traffic is being diverted through the old and new Mandovi bridges.
Terming peak hours as the worst, commuters claimed that they were stuck in the traffic jam for over three hours. Office-goers too were inconvenienced as they failed to reach their workplaces on time.
Many people, coming to Panjim from Vasco and Margao in public buses were left stranded at Merces Circle; some were seen alighting from the buses and walking towards the Kadamba bus terminus at Patto, Panjim.
Ambulances were manoeuvring in heavy traffic at a snail’s pace.
“The traffic jam due to the closure of Atal Setu compounded with traffic congestion caused in the heart of the city due to ongoing road infrastructure works has made our lives miserable. Instead of carrying out repair works frequently on Atal Setu, the government should consider demolishing it and building a new one,” said Ramesh Parab, an employee at a mobile repair shop in Panjim.
Pooja Naik, a resident of Panjim, questioned the authorities as to what was the need to close both arms of Atal Setu simultaneously.
Naik said, “It took me three hours to travel from Porvorim to Panjim this evening. Looking at the state of affairs it is evident that there was no coordination between departments. Did the North Goa Collector take into confidence the traffic police before issuing the closure order?”
Adv Harshal Desai tweeted: “Everything is just a scam! A newly built #AtalSetu goes for repairs 2-3 times after its inauguration in just 5 years timeline. How will the bridge sustain for years to come?
Traffic PI Panjim Chetan Saulekar informed us that additional manpower has been deployed on both sides of the old and new Mandovi bridges to control and manage the traffic.
“We have called in staff from traffic cells of neighbouring areas and deployed them. A total of additional 20 traffic constables have been roped in to control and manage the traffic,” PI Saulekar said.
