‘Complete phase 2 of Porvorim work before taking up phase 1’

Panaji: Following the traffic congestion during the trial run held at Porvorim to decide on diverting traffic to facilitate the construction of the ongoing elevated corridor, the traffic cell of Goa police suggested that the work of phase I and phase II should not be undertaken simultaneously.

The traffic cell suggested that heavy vehicles, including inter-state buses, should be diverted to avoid traffic congestion during the diversion.The trial run for traffic diversion at Porvorim, held last week, did not go as planned. With thousands of vehicles being diverted into narrow inner lanes between 10am and 1pm, chaos ensued for commuters between Porvorim and Panaji.Traffic police, in a letter to the North Goa collector, said that phase II work should be taken up first.They suggested that the contractor should be directed to provide a minimum of 90 traffic marshals for deploying them in three shifts— 30 marshals in each shift.“From 6am to 11pm, all inter-state buses and heavy goods vehicles carrying essential commodities (including fuel tankers) coming from the Pernem side should be invariably diverted at Karaswada to proceed via Assnora-Bicholim-Sanquelim-Navelim-Amona-Marcel-Banastarim,” traffic police said.

Likewise, all inter-state buses and heavy goods vehicles carrying essential commodities (including fuel tankers) coming from the Bambolim side should be invariably diverted at Merces junction to proceed via Banastarim-Marcel-Amona-Navelim-Sanquelim-Bicholim-Assnora.The route to be followed for heavy vehicles proceeding to Mapusa from Panaji shall be via the Panaji-Old Goa-Sanquelim-Bicholim-Assonora-Tivim route.The inter-state buses exiting from the inter-state bus stand at Panaji, should also be diverted at KTC Junction, Panaji, to proceed via Merces Junction-Banastarim-Marcel-Amona-Navelim-Sanquelim-Bicholim-Assnora.