Time spares no one. It has always been that constant tick-tock, tick-tock of the clock that has determined when we wake up, in defiance or just on another regular Monday morning.
With mouths slightly opened and heads tilted on the bus window pane, the sight was almost a reminder of how the weekends are never enough for the weeklong office hustlers. A familiar scene for many who hop onto a bus regularly.
It was on one such morning that the faint sound of the friction between the tyres and the road could be heard, in sparse moments between the overpowering Bakhuda Tumhi Ho blasting from the bus speakers that did nothing to wake up the passengers from their deep slumber.
But then, something else did.
En route to Panjim, no sooner did the bus enter the town of Ribandar, not just for the sleepy heads, there began every commuter’s worst nightmare.
As the bus landed into every hole that had been dug, and either left open or filled unevenly, the driver failed miserably to control the vehicle.
Inside the bus, the drowsy passengers were now wide awake holding on to their seats, while those in the aisle were swinging as the steering wheel was being frantically rotated.
The shaky ride prompted some grumpy comments, but there seemed to be another kind of struggle outside the window.
The two-wheeler riders, who appeared as competitive as any Olympian, tried to pass every hurdle, dodge the many craters which had formed after every metre, and ensure they didn’t dash into each other.
Sadly, that one morning turned out to be a dreaded routine for commuters who navigate through the Ribandar stretch, between Old Goa and Panjim, daily.
The road has been excavated under the Smart City Works by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL).
Point number one is in view of the upcoming exposition of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier that is expected to draw in people from across the globe who’ve read about Goa’s beauty on tourism brochures.
But, why look at Ribandar alone, when the roads of the capital city of Panjim remains in shambles?
Well, point number one is in view of the upcoming exposition of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier that is expected to draw in people from across the globe who’ve read about Goa’s beauty on tourism brochures. The stretch remains an important access point for people to reach the venue.
Number two is that there have been several deadlines, for the completion of the phase-wise work, that have been casually missed.
With the ‘blame’ being passed around, sometimes even pointing right to the dark clouds in the sky, the road has remained in an undone condition for almost a year.
Number three, unlike those who just pass by for those brief moments, the residents of Ribandar have paid a great price for the ‘smartness’ they were promised with the digging and re-digging impacting even small household chores.
Number three, unlike those who just pass by for those brief moments, the residents of Ribandar have paid a great price for the ‘smartness’ they were promised with the digging and re-digging impacting even small household chores.
For instance, I remember someone narrating how, on a visit to a house that was right near the road that was being dug, the cleaning equipment was kept next to the entrance as dusting needed to be done every few minutes, given that the dust makes its entry even from the tiniest of openings.
A problem very visible as most of walls of the houses along the stretch seem to be enveloped in shades of brown.
But it's not just the dusty air, even businesses along the road have been affected, as many have opted to take the traffic-clogged highway instead, avoiding this particular route.
As someone who travels along this bumpy road daily, risking life at every given moment, I often find myself pondering about when this situation will improve. But, who will take responsibility for the current state of affairs?
There’s something about promises—those made while planning a holiday with friends or those while standing at huge political podiums—these hold potential to be fulfilled 'someday'. Maybe today, or in about ten years from now, accountability isn’t always a given.
So, there’s every possibility that at some point in time, the road will be resurfaced, maybe a day before the upcoming exposition or sometime after that.
The bigger question that remains is: will the relentless tick-tock wake Goans up from the reality of unkept promises or will they continue to settle for dust?