Double parking, roadside parking and a free-for-all approach to traffic rules have left commuters and residents of the state capital fuming, as a chronic shortage of police personnel renders enforcement all but toothless. Every evening, commuters heading home find themselves crawling along D B Road, squeezed into a single lane because casino patrons have colonised the carriageway as their personal parking lot. In the city’s core business zone, vehicles are parked haphazardly across roads, leaving commuters to snake through gaps that barely exist. The result is a daily grind that residents said is unbearable and unpoliced.
CCP flags issue but enforcement remains weak
The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) said it has flagged the issue repeatedly with Goa police, but with little to show for it. “Police has a shortage of 50 staff. The police officers for Panaji are also handling other police stations, so there is nobody to crack down on traffic violations. Nobody can get fined,” said Panaji mayor Rohit Monserrate. Deployment numbers reveal the problem. Against a sanctioned strength of 111 personnel, the Panaji traffic cell operates with just 50 on the ground, less than half its required force.
Rules restrict who can issue challans
Compounding the problem, state govt rules mandate that only officers of PSI rank or above can issue a traffic challan, sharply limiting who can actually act when violations pile up by the minute. To find answers, Monserrate recently led an on-ground inspection near the old Patto bridge along with Panaji town PI Vijaykumar Chodankar, Panaji traffic PI Mahesh Kerkar, electricity department officials and CCP staff. The walkthrough examined traffic movement, parking chaos and public lighting along the corridor, with officials discussing fixes to ease congestion and improve safety.
Commuters see little relief
But for commuters stuck bumper-to-bumper on D B Road each evening, walkthroughs and discussions offer cold comfort. Police personnel are deployed at the Miramar circle to handle the jam created every afternoon when parents come to pick up their children from a private school. The presence of police personnel has failed to deter parents from double parking along the Miramar-Dona Paula road. The persistent lack of enforcement has left residents demanding immediate action, while the mayor continues to push for more staff and streamlined rules to tackle the worsening traffic crisis.
