One wonders what were the parameters in adjudging Panaji as the cleanest city. The jury perhaps was blindfolded or on a moonwalk. Panaji City which includes our Ribandar sadly remains decaying with dirt strewn all over.
The very vital Panaji market and our Kadamba Bus terminal are stinking and in very dire straits, while the St Inez and Rua de Ourem creeks continue to be a horrible eyesore with our nostrils bearing the brunt of that unbearable stench. The stagnation and neglect of vital infrastructure, the environment and sustainable development is all too evident.
The city’s gardens and parks are also in a despicable state. The coffers of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) should have actually been overflowing but for reasons known to all they are empty or rather have been willfully emptied. The inaction of the authorities on the over two decade old multi crore Panaji market scam says it all. The noise pollution from badly controlled traffic on pot holed congested and dangerous roads with poor parking facilities and casinos continue unabated. Every year the rains turn the city into a raging flood due to lack of adequate drainage facilities.
Unless there is transparency and accountability in the working of the CCP with Zero Tolerance to any scams, Goa’s capital city will languish as it is. And for a city to be clean it is imperative that the Mayor should himself be spotless and a knowledgeable person with integrity and a vision.
