Killer junction

Isidore Domnick Mendes
Bordering the villages of Bambolim, Curca and Goa Velha on one end and the Arabian Sea on the other, the coastal village of Siridao-Palem is inhabited by 2,423 people and has ??? wards.
During the past seven years, the intersection lying on National Highway 17 (NH 17) has become a death trap as more than 35 young and old lives from this village have been lost and the killer junction has also left wounded and injured scores of its locals.Nevertheless, the biggest irony for this peaceful and prosperous village of Tiswadi taluka is that neither the past Congress or the present BJP state government is least interested to protect the lives of its people.
Everyday, in the mornings and afternoons, the movement of children studying in the two village schools i.e. Our Lady of Rosary in Firguem Bhat and government school at Palem is severely affected as there is no subway.
The foundation stone for this subway was laid way back on April 12, 2008, by former chief minister Digambar Kamat in the presence of the erstwhile MLA Francisco Silveira.
Numerous representations by villagers, who are mostly fisherfolk, for building of a vehicular subway, have fallen on deaf years. “The junction has become a virtual death trap because pedestrians, riders and drivers have either been mowed down or grievously injured by speeding vehicles at the intersection. When we come to the intersection to cross the road, we are not aware what our fate will be,” said Sumita Lotlekar of Modhlo vaddo.
Even the policeman manning the traffic at this deadly traffic intersection has been by-and-large transitory in nature. “Successive state governments have been completely indifferent to the lives of sons and daughters of the soil of Siridao-Palem. Forget about they being permanently present, the cops are hardly seen controlling and directing both the heavy and light vehicles moving at a terrific speed at the deadly unmanned junction of NH 17,” says Chandrakant Lotlekar of Modhlo vaddo.
Like erstwhile chief minister Digambar Kamat, Manohar Parrikar too before being inducted at the Centre as defence minister, kept on giving empty assurances both inside and outside the assembly on the construction of the said passageway.
According to sources, just before the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, a meeting was chaired by then chief minister Manohar Parrikar and attended by all the panchayat members and sarpanchas of St Andre constituency, in which, Parrikar made it clear that the work of the proposed subway would begin in right earnest in September 2014.
But, all these assurances whether issued by Digambar Kamat or Manohar Parrikar have remained empty promises. The public works department (PWD) continues to display callous attitude on this vexed issue.
“For how long will the state government remain a mute spectator to the deaths and injuries occurring in the households of Siridao-Palem? Why don’t the authorities, at least, now act to fructify the dream of passageway for both vehicles and pedestrians at the intersection?” asks Pedrina Afonso of Firguem Bhat.
Siridao-Palem panchayat is just one of the many panchayats in Goa facing the brunt of the villagers because of the government backing down on undertakings it gave to the people. “The panchayat is completely unaided and helpless to redress the people’s grievances in which the state government had pledged to construct a subway. Due to the non-delivery of promises by the state government, villagers vent out their anger on the panchayat. Like other village panchayats, Siridao-Palem panchayat too is like a sub-post office with a mandate only to stamp on a set of papers. The local self government is only a nominal head whereas the government departments be it police, TCP, PWD are real executives,” laments sarpanch Antonio Jose Afonso.
The sarpanch further adds “A lot of lives have been sacrificed at the killer intersection. The need of the hour for Siridao-Palem is the coming up of the much-needed subway.”
When contacted, St Andre MLA Vishnu Surya Wagh said, “Getting the subway in Siridao-Palem and the state-of-art rural health centre in Azossim-Mandur have been my two most important priorities since becoming the St Andre MLA. Nevertheless, it is also being thought to construct a flyover straight from Bambolim to Goa Velha junction, which would not lead to destruction of any houses as earlier envisaged in the widening of road by NHAI (National Highway Authority of India), but, at the same time also completely minimize the flow of vehicular traffic on the existing NH 17 and this would automatically lead to zero accidents at the junction. But, let me be very clear that though I am not the minister, I will continue to champion all the causes of my constituents, especially of doing away with any casualties caused by the junction at Siridao-Palem. I won’t mind even going on a hunger strike for the people’s issues despite of being a MLA in the ruling party.”
Problem Problem
Water supply
Everyday, the village gets water supply of potable drinking water for just one hour. “For the last 25 years, successive state governments have made no efforts to augment the supply of water in terms of improving infrastructure, especially the building of a larger capacity water storage tank,” said Pedrina Afonso of Firguem Bhat . Unfortunately, the drinking water woe is further aggravated as the supply of water to Siridao –Palem is shared between Bambolim areas like Goa medical college, new housing colonies etc.
Land sharks
“For around 20 years, due to the unholy nexus of politicians, builder mafia, town and country planning (TCP) officials, no land has remained for future posterity of ‘Goemkars’. Especially, the beach part of Siridao has become a hotbed for real estate tycoons who have gone on a construction spree of swanky abodes whose occupants are non-Goans. Almost all rules for residential premises have been thrown to the winds,” says a panchayat official on condition of anonymity.
Electricity woes
The old electricity poles are not able to maintain the increase in work load especially during summers. This year, a day before the famed 'Jezu Nozrem' (Jesus of Nazareth), popularly called as 'Pejechem Fest', there was a complete power breakdown due to the collapse of 11 kvA pole in the field and all perishable items stored in the fridges of almost all households of the village, brought especially for the feast, got spoilt.
A little history
A village famed all over Goa for its yesteryear ‘ramponkars’, who for the prized catch of mackerels, sardines, tiger prawns, seerfish etc, used to venture into the sea with their manually-operated canoes to beaches as far as Cansaulim and Velsao on one hand to the closest beach of Caranzalam on the other. The village, at one point in time, had an unenviable position when it came to fishing of ‘Xinaneo’ (mussel). Then ‘renders’ (coconut pluckers) also enjoyed an eminent position in the state. Similarly, in cultivation of vegetables, the village was famous for the cultivation of ‘bhende’ (ladyfinger), brinjal, watermelon, red and green chillies. But, the modern age has killed almost all its past occupations. The fast mechanized trawlers as well as the emerging of a hotel group in the village has destroyed both the ramponkars and fishing. Similarly, the mushrooming of real estate in the village has killed both agriculture and fishing.
Top View
A lot of lives have been sacrificed at the killer intersection. The need of the hour for Siridao-Palem, is the coming up of the much-needed subway
Antonio Jose Afonso, sarpanch
Getting the subway in Siridao-Palem and the state-of-art rural health centre in Azossim-Mandur have been my two most important priorities since becoming the St Andre MLA. It is also being thought to construct a flyover straight from Bambolim to Goa Velha junction, which will not lead to destruction of any houses as earlier envisaged in the widening of road by NHAI
Vishnu Surya Wagh, MLA
People’s take
For how long will the state government remain a mute spectator to the deaths and injuries occurring in the households of Siridao-Palem?
Pedrina Afonso, Firguem Bhat resident
Forget about they being permanently present, the cops are hardly seen controlling and directing both the heavy and light vehicles moving at a terrific speed at the deadly unmanned junction of NH 17
Chandrakant Lotlekar, Modhlo vaddo resident
The junction has become a virtual death trap. When we come to the intersection to cross the road, we are not aware what our fate will be
Sumita Lotlekar, Modhlo vaddo resident