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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC) Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
Porvorim's Highway of fear
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by Ayesha Pereira
Consider the statistics. Fifty-one
deaths in a span of 105 days
that is one death in every two days.
That is the terror and fear
that residents of Porvorim have to live
with. The reason the
NH 17 bifurcates the village, with
residences on one side and
schools, market places on the other
side of the great divide.
And it is the terror blaring horns, speeding vehicles, buses breaking all traffic rules in the
desperate rush to reach Panjim
on time, motorcyclists and school kids
zigzagging their way
through the maze of traffic and the
tension of avoiding trucks
that trundle through Goa on their way
to either Mumbai or
Karwar, everyday that grips the
residents of Porvorim.
Says Rose Figueiredo, resident of Defence Colony, Porvorim, I face an immense difficulty even to
get to church for daily mass,
for one is forced to wait for quite a
while until the road is clear
enough to cross.
This fear was heightened on April 2, 2006 when a truck proceeding from Mapusa to Panjim
entered the wrong side
of the highway, despite the dividers,
dashed against Maruti Zen
proceeding to Mapusa killing the driver
and the front seat
passenger with the backseat passengers
being severely injured.
It is this lack of discipline on the road that is terrorising the residents of this once peaceful
village. Residents lament, that
drivers generally consider the road to
be their paradise,
maneuvering through the traffic
according to their own whims
and fancies. They are often spotted
overtaking even from the left,
showing total disregard for the safety
of other travellers.
Concurs PI Braz Menezes, Porvorim, the rampant issuing of licenses without a complete test of
the knowledge and skills
of a driver augments the number of
accidents. As a result victims
of three fatal accidents have been
pedestrians. According to
residents, cancellation of licenses of
those who violate traffic
norms is necessary.
The biggest challenge though, is the task of changing the mental set of the people to observe traffic
rules and regulations and it is
this lack of concern that has led to
rash and reckless driving.
Says Menezes, the key is traffic education, which has already being implemented in some schools and
should also be initiated
in colleges to acquaint students with a
traffic sense.
But it is the governments apathy with lack of dividers from Porvorim to Guirim and the complete
lack of traffic signals thus
putting pedestrians in danger. Agrees
Col. C H T Gomes,
dividers do help in channelising the
flow of traffic and it is
imperative that the authorities
complete the road dividers,
which are absent from O Coqueiro
restaurant to Guirim.
According to PWD engineers there are no future plans of widening the road from O Coqueiro to
Guirim as the land
available is not sufficient. Says S L
Raikar, assistant engineer
incharge of the construction of the
bypass road from Porvorim,
the proposal has been technically
sanctioned by the executive
engineers and it still awaits the
expenditure and administrative
approval by the
government.
And while the government dillydallies,
innocent lives continue
to be lost on Porvorims highway of
fear.
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HERALD 30/4/06 page 1
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