Tackling Panaji’s traffic congestion, chaotic parking priority: Mayor

Panaji: Rohit Monserrate was elected unopposed as Panaji mayor for a sixth consecutive term. Vasant Agshikar was elected in a similar manner to the post of deputy mayor.

“No other candidate applied for the mayor’s post. Since there is no other candidate in the fray, I declare Rohit Monserrate as the duly elected mayor, unopposed, of Panaji,” said Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) commissioner Clen Madeira.

Outlining his plans for the capital, the mayor said that he wants to tackle traffic congestion and haphazard parking in the city first.

“We have already met with officials concerned. We met the traffic deputy superintendent of police. Over the course of the next six months, we want to begin the process of streamlining the entire situation. First, we want to start with the area around the casinos. We have asked police for recommendations on what can be done. There is a lot of work that needs to be done from the CCP’s side also. Pay-parking boards, bollards and other things to prevent parking on the pavements,” he said.

The mayor said that there is a lot of work that needs to be done in Panaji before the 2027 assembly elections.

He said that CCP would not give any permission to Goa Natural Gas Pvt Ltd to lay gas pipelines in the city. “We are not in favour of them breaking our newly tarred or concrete roads. It took us a lot of time and effort to get those things put into place. We will sit with them and see. We are not going to allow anything before monsoon. The priority of our citizens is paramount. If our people are going to feel any discomfort, then we are not going to allow it. They can extend their timeline by a little bit,” the mayor said.