Frequent work on the national highways passing through the State has become the bane of commuters in Goa ever since construction of the Atal Setu was set in motion 10 years ago. Cut to the present day and the current project on National Highway 66 at Guirim and Porvorim is fast turning into yet another nightmare for thousands of hapless motorists, many of whom are forced to use the arterial stretch every day to get to their educational institutions or workplaces.
Yes, the elevated corridor is indeed much needed for Porvorim, which is fast becoming an extension of Goa’s capital city with many key government offices being shifted there in a bid to decongest Panjim. Once a largely unexplored land, Porvorim’s green rapidly began making way for grey when the national highway amplified the plateau’s commercial potential and its proximity to the State capital. Soon enough, several local and global business chains jostled for a space to set up their outlets alongside the key roads that cut through the locality. The result? A surge in vehicular density that ultimately caused traffic congestion and made the lives of residents and commuters alike extremely hard.
The highway at either end of Porvorim has already been widened, which means that the section of road passing through the rapidly expanding commercial hub has become a bottleneck of sorts, which further hinders smooth traffic flow. After a lot of back-and-forth with local residents and business owners who stood to lose greatly if their land was acquired for widening of the stretch, the State government finally decided to construct an elevated corridor that would save a majority of the existing homes and outlets flanking the highway from demolition.
With work on the project now having commenced, the length of road from the Guirim-Porvorim traffic signal till the approach of the Atal Setu has become something of a war zone as there is hardly any tarmac to be seen and vehicles are forced to navigate dirt roads riddled with deep potholes and lose gravel for most part. The condition of motorbike riders is particularly sad as not only are they at a greater risk of losing the balance and toppling over on such decrepit roads but must also deal with a thick coat of red dust enveloping them and their vehicles. It is only a matter of time until there is a spurt of respiratory diseases among people using the stretch and cases of orthopaedic problems.
The clogging of the narrow, internal village lanes at Socorro has become another thorn in the villagers’ side as they complain of a fast-eroding quality of life and inability to safely use the roads outside their homes for fear of being knocked down by lines and lines of both heavy and light vehicles seeking a shortcut to or from Panjim.
Construction is moving at a rapid pace, which means a road that is here today could likely be removed tomorrow, forcing travellers to weave their way through haphazardly created diversions. The absence of any semblance of road on some parts of the stretch recently prompted the Public Works Department, the traffic police, and the contractor of the elevated corridor project to meet. The contractor was specifically told that motorable roads must be provided to prevent traffic from slowing down and causing congestion. However, the situation on the ground does not appear to have changed much as the roads are far from satisfactory and the diversions aren’t even properly marked.
Dangers for motorists are heightened at night because there is hardly any illumination on the road. The stretch descending from Porvorim into Guirim is nothing short of pitch black during nightfall, which exponentially increases risks to life and limb.
It would, therefore, be fair to say that citizens have become an exasperated lot because the basic necessities that the government is supposed to be providing them – such as safe and motorable roads – are appearing to become more and more a dream than a reality. Is it really too much to ask for? Or is the government, in its signature fashion, waiting for a large-scale catastrophe to occur before it finally pulls up it socks and cracks the whip?