Porvorim shows why infrastructure openings need inter-departmental coordination
It’s two weeks today since the much-talked-about Porvorim highway elevated corridor was inaugurated with much fanfare. Some tried to take full mileage of the project – this is an election year and no one wants to miss an opportunity. After all the activities and fanfare on the flyover, traffic flow was to commence from 4 pm on September 11. Clearing the props and other arrangements on top of the corridor delayed the scheduled start time, and vehicles were flagged off only at 6 pm. In less than 24 hours, two persons died in a major accident, and since then all those grabbing credit have gone silent.
As a preventive measure, the exit/entry points were closed and two-wheelers were banned on the flyover. The celebratory mood turned into an anti-climax. With citizens voicing their opinions in the digital and print media, it was too much for the politicians to handle. They took the expected route and the blame game began. The politics within the ruling dispensation and the proxy war seem not to be over yet. Related to this was a statement made by former PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral, who was associated with the project initially. He said that the original plan included a provision for vehicles for ascent and descent. The government must come clean about why and how it was removed from the plan. Consulting IIT Kharagpur was sensible, but as seen in the past, authorities only wake up after tragedies strike. Prior advice from experts is not sought.
The intention behind getting the flyover ready in time for Ganesh Chaturthi may have been good. Commuters, after all, had suffered for over two years. But, there are lessons in this for the government. In future, they can hold a celebration on top of any project, but not without conducting trial runs. Besides, they must also install proper signage, speed-detecting devices, rumblers and proper exit/entry access, etc., before opening such projects to traffic. Before commissioning any major bridge, the State Road Safety Council, GEC and local experts should also be consulted.
Shutting the entry/exit points between the elevated corridor and Atal Setu exposed the inherent problem Goa has been facing. Ahead of the inauguration, PWD had announced that the Porvorim elevated corridor would carry around 60% of the total traffic on the Porvorim stretch, numerically more than 65,000 vehicles per day. Soon after the entry/exit points were shut, traffic began piling up on the surface road, clogging Divja Circle, Merces Circle and KTC roundabout. Massive traffic jams were witnessed on Monday and Tuesday, forcing the government to open at least one exit point with proper safeguards on Wednesday.
One question arises: when the situation was expected to cause traffic snarls, why didn’t the government think of an alternative? The government departments don’t seem to work in tandem. It is not the job of the PWD alone. There will be more. There should have been brainstorming to provide some solace to commuters. A free shuttle bus service could have been arranged between Guirim and Panaji for a few days. Motorists could have parked their vehicles in Guirim and taken the shuttle to their workplace and back, reducing congestion on the road. Even while the elevated corridor was being built, the authorities hardly did anything to provide relief to the motorists winding their way through the nearby village roads. People use their vehicles to go to work because of poor public transport. The government must look into this and consult experts to improve public transport.
