Goa

TRAGIC TRAIL OF SMART CITY: DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE BLOOD ON ITS HANDS?

Four lives snuffed out in less than 13 months; long-suffering residents raise questions about safety protocols and accountability; grieving families demand justice

Herald Team

Goa’s ambitious Smart City road works have come under intense scrutiny after four deaths and numerous injuries were reported, raising questions about safety and accountability.

Critics are calling the project a tragic failure of planning and execution.

The latest casualty is former politician and social worker Emidio Monteiro, a resident of Sant Estevam. Monteiro sustained severe head injuries after falling on the Ribandar Smart City road on November 7.

Despite medical care at Goa Medical College, Bambolim, he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

Monteiro’s death marks the fourth fatality associated with the project this year

Monteiro’s family should file a case and sue Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd for negligence. This was not an accident but murder by the Smart City. The Ribandar road is in terrible condition, and many accidents have taken place here. The family must fight for justice for Monteiro
Wilson D’Souza - Ribandar Resident

A Pattern of Negligence

The first incident occurred on October 17, 2023, when 28-year-old labourer Angad Kumar, a native of Bihar, was buried under soil at a Ribandar work site. Kumar was working on a trench to lay a sewer pipeline when the excavation collapsed on him. Reports reveal that Kumar lacked safety gear while working on the project, which had only started four days earlier.

In a separate incident on January 1, 2024, 21-year-old BCom student Ayush Halarnkar died when his motorcycle fell into an unmarked trench near People’s High School, Panjim. The lack of warning lights or signage at the site was widely condemned

Another tragedy struck on July 23, 2024, when 16-year-old Arti Gond, a native of Uttar Pradesh, died after a tree fell on her near Garcia de Orta Garden, Panjim. The incident, along with other tree collapses near Panjim Church, raised concerns about whether construction activities weakened tree roots.

Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate questioned the safety measures in place

We need to assess whether these incidents are linked to ongoing Smart City works
Atanasio Monserrate - MLA, Panjim

Public Outrage

The repeated loss of lives has outraged citizens and officials, who demand strict safety protocols and accountability from Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd.

Many now question whether the price of development is too high for the people of Goa.

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