log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY MAY 20, 2025 GOA Accidents snuff out lives of two PANAJI: Monday turned tragic when two persons lost their lives in two separate accidents. A 70-year-old man died while another rider was injured when two two-wheelers collided with each other on the road between Waghure and Shingane in Pissurlem-Sattari. In yet another tragic accident, a 21-year-old youth lost his life in a self-accident early Monday morning in Bastora.  >> See pg 5 P’yats, civic bodies get monsoon funds PANAJI: The Goa government has approved disbursal of funds to local bodies for carrying out pre-monsoon works across the State with each village panchayat to receive Rs 35,000, B category municipalities Rs 60,000 and A category municipalities Rs 1.1 lakh. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the finances approval after chairing the State Disaster Management Authority meeting.  >> See pg 5 Tharoor's expulsion on the cards? NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of BJP naming MP Shashi Tharoor to lead the government’s multiparty delegation abroad, something is brewing among the Congress ranks with many powerful leaders of the opinion that he should be let go. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 332 PWD’s inaction on illegal roadside structures faces public scrutiny IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoan 3 GOA Dump town: Mapusa chokes on garbage as civic body fails to act 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Worst habits that can wreck your teeth 11 SPORTS Sunrisers Hyderabad beats Lucknow Super Giants by 6 wickets 14 Three of Panaji’s ‘excluded’ roads back in Smart City plan? IPSCDL rushes new proposal to CM IPSCDL WHICH HAD RECENTLY WASHED ITS HANDS OF ATMARAM BORKAR ROAD, 18TH JUNE ROAD & DR PANDURANG PISSURLEKAR ROAD HAS NOW CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIXING THEM VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI Just weeks after narrowly sidestepping contempt proceedings in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the agency at the helm of Goa’s most ambitious urban overhaul has quietly reversed its stance on three of Panaji’s busiest arteries. The Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL), which had until recently washed its hands of Atmaram Borkar Road, 18th June Road and Dr Pandurang Pissurlekar Road has reportedly claimed responsibility for fixing them. This clearly means that roads that were, by its own admission, “not under the Smart City mission” are suddenly part of a new proposal rushed to the Chief Minister’s office. In early April, IPSCDL CEO Sanjith Rodrigues had doubled down on that narrative. “We were very categorical that these roads cannot be taken up under the Smart City mis- Miramar faces flood risk as drain work likely post monsoon PANAJI: With monsoon clouds already looming, the flood-prone neighborhoods around Miramar Circle and the Stella Maris Chapel might face another season of water-logging. Amid annual flood concerns in these low-lying areas, the proposal for a new drainage system is under administrative review. Sources said that the file, forwarded to the Public Works Department (PWD) by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), is still undergoing scrutiny. “Had the proposal been submitted during earlier CCP tenures, the work might have started and possibly even concluded by now... the proposal comprises new drainage installations stretching till Bal Bhavan,” the source said. A view of the 18th June Road, Panaji. sion in its current form because the central drains run through these roads,” Rodrigues had said at the press conference, adding that the matter was flagged to the State government, which had subsequently “taken note.” Now, as the monsoon nears and some parts of Panaji still reeling under unfinished works, the same agency has allegedly obtained the government’s nod to take up the work using State funds. Government sources told The Goan that urgency was cited in the request for special budgetary allocation. “The proposal, though green lit, will require a new tender, a new contractor, a new consultant and a reset of timelines. In real terms, commuters to these roads, especially on 18th June Road, will continue to face water-logging,” the source added, admitting to monsoon-related issues this year too. The High Court, which had earlier set a March 31 deadline for completing major road and sewerage works, was shown patches of progress at the time, wherein trenches were hurriedly filled with gravel and layers of concrete. Sources further confirmed that IPSCDL is eyeing one of its current contractors to take up the new assignments. Even so, timelines are uncertain. A fresh carrying capacity survey is likely to be ordered before any work begins on 18th June Road, where clogged central drains must be overhauled from scratch. The cost of this bureaucratic delay is allegedly a massive public expense, as just one of the proposed road works may cost upwards of Rs 50 crore. Rodrigues remained unavailable for comment, with the agency spokesperson saying he is “out of town.” The IAS officer was last week immediately relieved by the Ministry of Home Affairs, with a warning, to take over the posting in Ladakh, where he was transferred last September. Meanwhile, desilting operations by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) have also hit roadblocks, with sources alleging that some commercial establishments are refusing to cooperate, compounding the water-logging risk. >Continued on P8