On World Cities Day, Panjim has nothing to cheer

One of the busiest thoroughfares of the city -- the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg -- is a no-parking and no-stopping zone, but here Casino vehicles and tourist taxis are kept parked in total breach of law. The traffic police and transport department have not been able to control this or they are turning Nelson's eye to the problem.

The traffic chaos in Panjim is going from bad to worse by the day. Even after some of the city schools were shifted to Cujira, the traffic mess during peak hours is here to stay.

One of the major reasons for the traffic mess is double parking on the two very busy roads of the capital city -- the 18th June Road and the Atmaram Borkar Road. The congestion that is seen on a daily basis doesn't even augur well for the visiting tourists.

Panjim is striving to become a smart city, but no serious efforts are seen on the ground as a result of which the quality of life of Panjim citizens is suffering

World Cities Day is observed on October 31 every year. This year the theme is 'Act Local to Go Global' to bring different partners and diverse stakeholders together to share their experiences and approaches to local action, what local action worked and what is needed to empower local and regional governments to create greener, more equitable and sustainable cities.