Goa minister asks MLAs to come an hour earlier for assembly session

Panaji (IANS) | Amid heavy traffic jams in Panaji and its outskirts, senior leader and Energy Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Friday asked legislators and government officials to report an hour earlier for the assembly session beginning on March 27. Due to the closure of Atal Setu bridge in Panaji over Mandovi river, commuters going towards Maharashtra using two other bridges (adjacent to Atal Setu) are seen stuck in long spiraling queues.

Sudin Dhavalikar said that there are major problems on the Atal Setu bridge and heavy vehicles going towards Maharashtra are causing traffic jams. So, all the MLAs and officials should come an hour earlier. This is not a man-made disaster.

The Goa Legislative Assembly complex is located in Porvorim, so people coming from Panaji have to cross the Mandovi bridge to reach here. “We will also solve the problem of traffic jam at Porvorim by programming the signals and giving extra minutes to the zigzag queues,” Dhavalikar said.

Talking about the traffic jam in Panaji city, Dhavalikar said that it is happening because the work on war-footing for the G-20 meetings is going on. After the completion of these works, the traffic will be smooth.

Atal Setu 5.1 kilometer long cable stayed bridge was opened in February 2019. At present, asphalt and other work is going on on this bridge, so it has been closed for traffic.

–IANS