The proposed traffic diversion plan from Panaji to Margao route has created an havoc amongst the people commuting on this route on regular basis and the Businessmen of Verna Industrial Estate have revolted against it and they have threatened to move to the court if the plan is not changed. According to them, the new traffic diversion plan will crush their business activities completely.
According to The Goan Unhappy over the likely closure of a stretch of highway between Cortalim Circle and Sharayu Toyota showroom and the possible traffic diversion via Chicalim, the Verna Industrial Association (VIA) plans to meet Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to oppose such traffic diversion plans.
The association has said that if the traffic diversion plan is not altered, then over 400 industries situated at Verna which operates in three shifts would get severely affected by it and it would also affect thousands of executives and workers.
“Will Dilip Buildicon, which has bagged the prestigious Rs 500 crore plus Zuari Bridge project, provides the ease of traveling to work and back for Verna Industrial Estate,” asked Kochkar.
Currently, the travel between Panaji to Margao itself has become the matter of a concern. It takes several hours to travel the small stretch of 4 km during the rush hours making the life of commuter miserable due to the dust pollution and narrow roads, and the new diversion plan will only bring more suffering to the people travel for the job.
“When the Mandovi bridge is being built by L&T without major diversions, why was the same technology not adopted for this bridge? When the contractor was aware that a diversion was needed to contain the increasing traffic flow, wasn’t it their duty to make alternative road arrangements?,” asked a visibly upset Kochkar.
“Every government tender has the clause specifying that the work has to be carried out without causing any hindrance and nuisance to the traveling public at large. Is this clause being diluted to help the contractor? If this was the hidden agenda, wasn’t it the duty of the contractor to have widened the roads in the first instance?” he added.
The association is planning to meet the Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and seek his intervention into this matter. “We want the union minister to put some sense into the contractors that their operations should not be carried out for their convenience, but for the convenience of the public, as the interest of the public must come first,” said Kochkar adding that “The other option is to take the matter to court if the better sense does not prevail.”
The association is also ok with the arrangement of one way traffic from Panaji to Margao alongside the construction work. “But the plans of traffic diversion of 22km via Chicalim is not acceptable,” he said.
There is no doubt that the diversion will make the life of regular traveler between these routes miserable and this armament is supposed to be made for one long year which is another big challenge. What are your views on this new traffic diversion plan??
