RIBANDAR: First it was laying of underground electricity cables, which took two years to complete. Then it was sewage work. Now work on road relaying is going on. Ribandar is choked and its residents are struggling to breathe.
While the public outcry against the absolute devastation of Panjim has been heard loud and clear, the abject misery faced by the people of neighbouring Ribandar, has gone under the radar. The satellite village is getting ruined due to over-'Smart'-so called-development and is seeing public anger mounting.
Their problems start the moment they open their doors to step out for their daily commuting.
The roads, which are already narrow, have been dug up. They do not have alternate roads. The condition of the roads and the people portray a poor picture of the State's administration.
The hapless residents are worried as they don't know what to do if there is an emergency.
A resident pointed out that a few days back, there was so much traffic jam that an ambulance took five minutes to cover a few metres of distance. Near Ribandar-Divar ferry point, a road has been dug up for about 200 metres, rendering the residents on both sides of the road helpless.
The residents say civic authorities, who are supposed to make their life easier, are doing just the opposite instead. They also complained that at some of the places, sewage and water pipelines run parallel, which could lead to contamination of drinking water, in case the pipelines are damaged due to the digging.
Former forest department officer Francis Araujo said, ''Few days ago, an ambulance took five minutes to cover a few metres of distance. There is so much traffic. All the vehicles, especially tourist taxis, are coming from Old Goa to Panjim, via Ribandar. They should be diverted. There are too many two-wheelers plying on the road. This is creating a mess."
"The dust and noise pollution has become a continuous affair. The residents who have been affected due to the work, were issued passes which were honoured for just two days. Now it is free for all as nobody bothers to look at the passes. They should divert the vehicles at Patto itself,'' Araujo said.
"There is so much traffic jam that even if I want to take my car out, I can't. There is hardly any space left on the road. You cannot move an inch. The situation is terrible. Though Ribandar is part of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP), it is always treated like a village. Question is, when the project was announced around eight years back, what was the government doing so far? Now there seems to be a tearing hurry to complete it,'' Araujo said.
Sulakshana Naik, a senior citizen, said, "It has been one month since the road was closed for the Smart City work. The road is closed from both ends. There is a way for two-wheelers only and that too is very narrow. We cannot complain to anybody. We do not know when the work is going to be completed. Initially we were told that it will take one month to complete it, now I am hearing it may be completed by June. People are facing problems, but what to do?"
Another local resident, Kiara Fernandes said, "We are facing water problems because of digging of the road. Already we receive water supply only for an hour daily, that too at a low pressure. The houses situated on the river bank are facing the same problem. Due to the road digging, the pipeline which carries water to our houses, has been damaged.''
Santosh Lotlikar said, "The work is not only bad, but also substandard. It appears that the authorities are in a hurry to complete the work. We have been suffering for the last three years. First it was laying of underground electricity cables, which took two years to complete. Then it was sewage work. Now work on road relaying is going on.’’