Brace for more road closures in Panaji for smart city works

Panaji: The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd is gearing up to shut down additional roads in the coming weeks as it rushes to meet its March 31 deadline. Around 3.5km of road remains to be repaired and surfaced, but the works are contingent on the ongoing sewerage works being completed.

IPSCDL plans to shut down the 535m-long General Bernardo Guedes Road from Geeta Bakery to D B Road Junction near Inox for a period of 20 days, along with two other key roads that connect the Panaji market area to D B Road.

“These stretches are not being taken up haphazardly. We have given a plan and we have adhered to this plan,” said IPSCDL chief executive officer Sanjit Rodrigues.

In the main capital area, a total of 3,400m of road works have been completed, while 3,450m remain pending, which are being taken up in multiple phases, he said.

While phase I was completed, phase II, which includes stretches along M G Road, T B Cunha Road, 18th June Road and Cunha Rivara Road is scheduled for completion on Friday. Phase III of the road repairs will be taken up on Saturday and will continue till the end of Feb, after which the fourth phase covering 530m will start.

In St Inez, a critical stretch of 200m remains to be completed, while in Rua de Ourem, 1,380m of roadwork is pending. Residents of Bhatulem, Mala and Fontainhas, as well as commuters entering the city, will have to brace for road closures in March as the stretches from Old Patto bridge to the income tax office and from the handicrafts building to the Four Pillar Junction will be closed for repairs.

“The stretch from Tadmad to the STP is where we have to lay the sewerage pipeline, and we have to dig to a depth of 12m. The proof of our success is here. It is a gravity line, and the alignment has to be maintained,” said Rodrigues.

He said that while all roads will be tarred by March 31, the final coat of asphalt and lane demarcation will be done in May.

“These dates have been proposed to allow the settlement of the dense bitumen macadam layer and necessary rectifications, if any, without requiring road closure. Landscaping and tree plantation work is scheduled between June 1 and June 30 to ensure better plant survival and will not involve road closure,” said Rodrigues.