Smart city road caved in, sewage tanker fell down

Panjim: Questions have once again been raised on the smartness of the smart city project after another sewage suction tanker overturned and a part of the road caved in at Tonka in Panaji on Saturday.

A portion of the Smart Road in Tonka was recently opened for vehicle traffic. According to passersby, the road caved in when the tanker driver was trying to take the vehicle in reverse gear.

This incident has again brought to the fore the ‘irresponsible’ actions taken by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL).

In the month of February this year, a sewage suction truck partially submerged on a road in Tonka that was dug to carry out sewerage work. When a heavy vehicle was taking rounds in Ward number 8 in the morning, the road caved in.

A few days later in the same month, a loaded tanker fell into a pit in St. Inez, injuring four workers. There were no proper safety measures at either of the two accident sites and the district administration has not yet taken the issue seriously.

The ongoing works across the capital city have caused huge chaos and apart from dust pollution, people, especially motorists, are having a terrible time.

While the contractors are avoiding registering cases, only the drivers are being booked for rash and negligent driving.