Panaji, Aug 17 (TOI): The chaotic nightmare along the Margao to Panaji route continued on Thursday, as hundreds of vehicles ground to a halt due to the completely damaged roads and haphazard traffic management.
Impatient motorists who tried to jump lanes only served to aggravate the situation, even as Goa police struggled to bring the situation under control.
Vehicular movement towards Margao and Panaji, including vehicles coming from Vasco, were stuck.
North Goa deputy SP Traffic Dharmesh Angle said, “Yes, there is a traffic jam at Cortalim due to the potholes. After the rains, water accumulates in these puddles that motorists try and avoid. Only once this road is repaired, the traffic will flow easily.”
SP Traffic and both Dy SPs were present on the scene to supervise the flow of traffic on the NH-66 route.
Commuters, fliers, students and working staff found themselves trapped in the gutwrenchingly familiar mass of vehicles, ironically, just a day after Independence day.
The ongoing construction of the mammoth new Zuari bridge has not only created potholes along the entire Verna to Agasaim stretch, it has also reduced the width of the road to just one lane, commuters say.
“Bringing to your notice the long, irritating traffic in your state Goa. Taking four hours to reach what is otherwise an hours’ distance. Airport to North Goa journey was never more painful,” said Ayush Biyani in a tweet to chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
Several citizens reported that they missed their flights because of the chaos. Despite the presence of the Goa traffic police at different junctions, cars continued to flout all rules by forming multiple lanes and overtaking from every side.
Lawyers caught in traffic, TCP board meet adjourned.
An irate flier, Harsh Rajnani said, “Fed up of Goa traffic. Due to bridge under construction, I missed my flight. Traffic policemen unable to handle the traffic. Car got stuck in this traffic from past two hours. The government of Goa should take this seriously about how to manage road traffic. Frustrated!!”
Several others reported missing important business appointments as they were stuck in traffic for more than three hours. The town and country planning board meeting had to be adjourned because most of the lawyers who were to present their cases before the board remained trapped in the gridlock.
Scores of passengers were seen getting down from vehicles and walking towards their destination in the hope of catching a lift once they were past the jam. The logjam also affected public transport services as several KTC buses were stuck in the jam. Passengers in Panaji, Vasco and Margao began to queue up as they waited for transport. A woman working at a private firm travelling home from Panaji, had to wait for an hour to get a bus to Margao.
She got a bus only at 7pm after getting caught in the traffic jam at Cortalim, where the bus remained standstill for half an hour.
“This government wants to build a massive bridge. All this development is at our cost,” a commuter Martha Viegas said.
The crater-sized potholes that have sprung up on the NH 66 stretch from Cortalim to Agasaim have turned the road into a death trap for motorists.
The incessant rainfall has also been adding to commuters’ woes with the road along the ongoing construction work of the new cablestayed Zuari Bridge getting flooded and leaving motorists with no option but to navigate through the water, unaware about potholes until they land in them. The potholes are also largely responsible for slowing down traffic, thus resulting in traffic congestion and chaos along the highway.