Team Herald
PANJIM: The ongoing Smart City road works in Goa have become a tragic symbol of negligence, claiming four lives and leaving numerous others injured in the accidents linked to poor planning and execution.
Residents and officials have raised serious questions about safety protocols and accountability as families grieve and demand justice.
The latest victim of the controversial project is former politician and social worker Emidio Monteiro, a resident of Sant Estevam. Monteiro sustained severe head injuries on the Ribandar Smart City road after a fall on November 7, at 7 pm. He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday at Goa Medical College, Bambolim. His death marks the fourth fatality associated with Smart City works this year.
Wilson D’Souza, a resident of Ribandar, said, “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.”
The first incident occured on October 17, 2023, when 28-year-old labourer Angad Kumar, a native of Bihar, was trapped under a pile of soil at a Smart City work site in Ribandar. Kumar was working on a trench to lay a sewer pipeline when soil from the excavation collapsed on him at around 7.30 am. He was reportedly not provided with any safety gear. The work on this stretch of the project, a 0.9 km road from Vithal Mandir to the Old Goa Institute of Management, had only commenced on October 13.
The second fatality this year occured on January 1, when a 21-year-old second-year BCom student, Ayush Halarnkar, from a city college, lost his life. His motorcycle fell into an unmarked trench near People’s High School, Panjim. Ayush’s father, Rupesh Halarnkar, a former councillor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji, said, “I do not know what happened. We are in a state of shock.” No warning lights or signs had been placed around the trench, highlighting gross negligence.
On July 23, 2024, 16-year-old Arti Gond, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, died after a tree fell on her as she was walking near Garcia de Orta Garden in Panjim. She sustained severe head injuries. Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate raised concerns over whether the tree collapse, along with two other similar incidents near Panjim Church, could be linked to ongoing Smart City works.
The recurring deaths and injuries linked to these projects have sparked outrage, with citizens and leaders demanding accountability and stricter safety measures.