Recently I sat in the passenger seat of a small goods carrier while Nitin, the driver, gingerly navigated the undulations of the recently repaved CHOGM road. Trying to avoid the many depressions in the road, he drove slowly into oncoming traffic. CHOGM road had been dug to place sewer pipes. The mud that went to refill the trenches had not been compacted thoroughly before the road was retarred. Thus, the onset of rains caused the ground to sink - this is, as per Nitin’s explanation, which included a few heartfelt expletives for those causing problems for the common people of Goa.
On one hand there is bad work that endangers people’s lives, wastes their money and time, but goes unpunished. Then there is the thoughtless construction by the government that inconveniences people during its construction, will inconvenience people in its use, and as history has shown, will not be properly maintained. The football stadium in Campal is a case in point. It is surrounded by busy roads. The thousand-seater stadium has parking for 160 cars and 175 two-wheelers. The surge in traffic during games is going to cause havoc to the already existing disarray. The stadium is also going to be used for other events, so disruptions is not going to be limited to the football season.
Then there is the government ‘enabling’ business to help the Goan economy. The casinos and their Mandovi frontages is a case in point. The traffic chaos on the casino strip hides the fact that taxis catering to the casinos have eaten into the parking in Panjim. The Goa government collected Rs 466 crore from casinos in 2023-24, a 32% jump from the previous year. The Centre collects 28% GST on each bet placed in these casinos. But is that enough for them to turn a blind eye to the destruction of Mandovi frontage and the inconvenience? Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) granting in principle NOCs to these facilities even before they have submitted the EIA is an example of putting the cart before the horse.
As Panjim is enroute to become a Smart City, these Smart moves are not surprising. While Panjim is pummelled with a constant barrage of such Smart ideas, it continues to grapple with existing basic issues – everything from dug streets, parking woes, cemented roads, potholed roads and unregulated traffic.
A cursory look at the projects page of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited website confuses one. There are beautification projects, then there is a photograph of an unmanned Goa Intelligent City Management System (GICMS) control centre and so on.
The money that is being spent does not seem to be benefitting the common person. The problems remain the same and more are added.
So instead of trying to create Smart Cities, let us make ‘common-sense’ cities. Cities where everyday issues are resolved once and for all, where roads are not constantly dug, where citizens remember they have a role to play in the well-being of their city, where politicians and bureaucrats are held accountable, where projects are completed on time and contractors punished for shoddy work. I could go on and on.
Let’s begin with waste management in the city. Currently, waste is collected from houses - some homes segregate waste others don’t. It doesn’t matter because all the waste is collected together and taken to a common waste collection area. These areas, no matter its beautification, are an eyesore and a source of foul smell.
Instead of this façade of waste management where the waste generator is not responsible, and the waste management operator gets away because no one wants to deal with this ‘dirty issue’, reconfigure waste management into a community-based one. The non-biodegradable waste can be collected fortnightly or monthly and the biodegradable waste is collected and composted within residential areas. The compost so created can be sold. Housing societies will take an avid interest in ensuring that the system works, given that it will be done within their premises.
To ensure the current centralised waste management operator does not lose financially, they can be given the contract to provide manpower and expertise to operate these community waste management facilities.
Another issue that does not need the Smart but plain common sense is promoting decentralised power generation. The idea is to reduce family carbon footprint by installing renewable energy sources like rooftop solar panels. There are schemes to promote installation of roof-top solar panels, but they don’t seem to be many takers. The government needs to chalk out a plan to ensure greater uptake of rooftop solar panels. One way forward is to make it mandatory for all housing complexes to install these systems. This is a way to not only get green and clean energy but also provide gainful employment to youth.
There is also the matter of water conservation and rainwater harvesting. Just because Goa is blessed with rivers and a good monsoon does not mean that the State should ignore this vital resource. Besides promoting rainwater harvesting and water conservation, the government has to reduce its favourite pastime – land conversion. Destroying mangroves, converting agricultural and forest land suggests copious amounts of greed and a paucity of common sense.
Urban mobility is another aspect for any city desirous of being recognised as being habitable and people-friendly. Public transport in Panjim, and for that matter Goa, is a mess. A good public transport system ensures cleaner air, less traffic congestion, and independence and mobility for various sections of society.
Let’s not get enamoured by the glitzy promise of terms like Smart City. A walk or drive through the city is enough to create a list of things that actually need to be done to make Panjim a better place.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Samir Nazareth
Quelle/Source: O Heraldo, 10.08.2024
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