Traffic congestion, waste management, parking woes and on the minds of more than 32,000 voters as they head to the polls in the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections today.
Jovito Lopes, a veteran journalist and resident of the heritage ward of Fontainhas, has watched Panaji – located on the banks of the Mandovi River – transform long before tourists thronged the capital city. “The city has deteriorated due to urbanisation and migration. More so with the casinos coming up on the Mandovi,” he says.
“The foremost issue is that roads must be motorable and pavements must be reserved solely for pedestrians. Traffic congestion and the lack of parking spaces are major problems. Zebra crossings have disappeared, and senior citizens like me find it difficult to cross the road. The municipal marketplace is in an awful condition – you cannot enter without gum boots. The Portuguese built a great drainage system, but the corporation has managed to destroy it. When it rains, the drains are clogged. For the past fortnight, we have seen roads being done up; they seem to be fooling people. The only thing the corporation has managed well is garbage collection,” Lopes adds.
A total of 69 candidates are contesting across 30 wards Though elections are not fought on party lines, the contest is mainly between two panels supported by rival political parties. The ‘Ami Panjekar’ panel, launched by Utpal Parrikar – son of former Goa Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Parrikar – is backed by opposition parties including Congress and AAP. It is pitted against the panel led by Revenue Minister and BJP MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, whose son Rohit is the incumbent CCP Mayor.
Aloo Gomes Pereira, a resident of São Tomé, is more measured in her assessment. “I won’t say the city is getting worse,” she says, “but the main problem in our ward is the casinos. Though the CCP claims it has no jurisdiction over them or their policymaking, it was recently mentioned that the corporation collects their waste. The Are we going to turn Panaji into a sin city? These offshore casinos need to leave.”
Residents of the heritage wards of São Tomé and Fontainhas have long complained that a growing influx of tourists and unregulated tourism have transformed their quiet neighbourhoods into a noisy, intrusive experience, eroding the local character of the Latin Quarter. Many have posted signs outside their homes reading “Photography banned with the backdrop of the house” and “No photography – due to insensitive loud Instagrammers.”
“There is little the government can do ,” Pereira says. “You cannot control what kind of tourists come, or how many. What authorities can do is enforce the law and levy heavy fines for non-compliance. There are ‘no trespassing’ signs near homes in the heritage areas, but there is no enforcement. Rental bikes and cars are a menace – people cause accidents, drive drunk, and have taken over all the parking spaces in the city.”
Lopes agrees that tourism must be regulated. “Civility is often missing among some tourists. They must respect our privacy. Everyone just wants a photo for social media. The corporation needs a clear policy for the conservation of these heritage wards,” he says.
Atish Fernandes, a businessman who runs popular bars in the area, takes a broader view: “We are hoping Panaji gets a progressive, forward-thinking and honest panel to govern the city – one that helps it grow in a more organised and sustainable way. We face many issues: traffic, parking, the tourist influx tied to the casinos. But it’s a double-edged sword. We need a fine balance, and we – business owners, casinos, residents, shopkeepers. Everyone has a stake in this city.”
Noor, a tours and travel operator who moved from Myanmar to Panaji in 1988, says, “Traffic congestion and parking are the biggest issues here. If the city aspires to be a Smart City with a large floating tourist population, it also needs to be very clean.”
