Team Goemkarponn
PORVORIM: Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte has demanded accountability for planning and design lapses in the Porvorim flyover project, while calling for immediate measures to resolve access and traffic-safety concerns faced by local residents.
Speaking after a briefing by the PWD Minister, Khaunte said the government has committed to implementing a package of measures within a maximum of seven days, while opening key access points over the next couple of days.
Khaunte said the immediate priority was to provide connectivity for traffic approaching Porvorim from both the south and the coastal belt. According to him, authorities will work on opening access for vehicles coming from the Atal Setu towards Porvorim, Calangute and the beach belt, while also providing flyover access for traffic coming from areas such as Malim, Betim and Aldona towards Porvorim, Mopa, Pernem and Mapusa.
He said the road leading towards the Atal Setu for Porvorim residents is also expected to be opened within the next few days.
At the same time, Khaunte said traffic-control measures including speed enforcement, traffic signals, speed breakers, rumblers, cameras and clearer advance signage are being taken up. He stressed that motorists must be clearly informed about speed restrictions and access arrangements to prevent sudden manoeuvres and confusion.
Khaunte also raised concerns over two-wheelers entering the Atal Setu despite the restriction. He said existing signage was inadequate and called for prominent written boards stating that two-wheelers are not permitted, rather than relying only on symbols.
On speeding, Khaunte said the prescribed speed limit is 65 kmph and called for cameras to automatically detect violations and issue challans wherever the technology is available.
Khaunte said traffic, Transport and PWD authorities should work together instead of addressing the issue separately. He said the PWD Minister has agreed to form a joint committee involving the concerned departments to oversee implementation and monitor traffic conditions on the ground.
He also urged that recommendations from IIT and IIM consultants be vetted by practical transport-management authorities before implementation, citing the need to assess traffic movement, enforcement and accident-prevention requirements on the ground.
Khaunte said authorities must conduct continuous trials and monitor traffic patterns, including the impact on Merces Circle and the Mapusa side, to ensure that solving one bottleneck does not create another.
On the original planning and Detailed Project Report (DPR), Khaunte said personnel involved in the PWD planning at the time are no longer in those positions, but that should not prevent accountability from being established.
“Rather than trading blame, accountability must be firmly fixed. I will be writing to the Chief Minister regarding this,” Khaunte said.
He argued that the planning process should have accounted for the existing population and local access requirements along the corridor, even though the project forms part of a national highway network.
Khaunte said the immediate focus, however, must remain on fixing the current problems and ensuring smooth connectivity for Porvorim residents while maintaining North-South traffic movement.
He added that the government’s commitments would be followed up closely, with progress expected to be reviewed on the ground within a week.
