Latest news with #ImaginePanajiSmartCityDevelopmentLimited
Time of India
31-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
After 4 years, Smart City opens Tonca road with open pits and no footpaths
Panaji: The 200-metre stretch from Taad Maad to the Tonca sewage treatment plant (STP) has been opened — after a long delay — for vehicular traffic, even as workers and engineers scramble to put the finishing touches. Though the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) said that the road was completed, some sections of the footpaths remain incomplete, with paver blocks yet to be placed. Open pits, gravel, and other construction materials are visible along the stretch. Street lighting is also yet to be completed. Debris, metal barricades, sewerage pipelines, and cement blocks remain strewn along the stretch. The IPSCDL said that the construction of the concrete road at St Inez is complete and that it met the high court mandated deadline of May 31. 'The road was re-laid using high-grade, durable concrete, with the addition of footpaths for pedestrians. With the project now complete, the new road is fully traffic-ready,' said an IPSCDL official. 'That will facilitate smoother vehicular movement, improved stormwater drainage, and safer passage for both motorists and pedestrians.' Travelling on the St Inez Road to Tonca and the Caculo mall junction stretch became a nightmare for residents and commuters after IPSCDL decided to dig up the Taad Maad junction around four years ago. 'The road is now open to the public, representing a key milestone in Panaji's ongoing infrastructure transformation under the Smart City Mission,' the IPSCDL official said. IPSCDL got the contractors to hurriedly clear up the challenging 200-metre stretch, which emerged as a 'focal point' of the Smart City Mission, particularly the sewerage renovation project. The sewerage network required extensive underground utility works, including the installation of a 710-mm diameter trunk sewerage line at the Taad Maad junction. However, the new sewerage line has yet to be connected to the Tonca STP, with work nearing completion. 'The new sewerage line was laid in a manner that ensures the existing line remains intact and fully functional. Once the new line is connected to the STP and commissioned, the old line will become redundant,' an IPSCDL engineer said.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
With e-buses, daily commute gets a quiet makeover in Panaji
A fleet of clean, comfortable and silent electric buses has brought about a paradigm shift in public transport in Panaji city, amid a growing number of residents embracing the change. As part of the Centre's Smart City Mission , 48 such e-buses are crisscrossing the length and breadth of Goa's capital, ferrying thousands of commuters daily, under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) project. Jove Costa, Public Engagement Officer at IPSCDL, told PTI that several residents are ditching their private vehicles in favour of these electric buses. The fleet, which includes 12-metre, 9-metre, and 7-metre buses, has been introduced by the state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, under the Panaji Smart City project being implemented by the Pramod Sawant government in Goa, he said. Between July 2024 and March 2025, he said, nearly 1.7 million (17 lakh) commuters travelled on these buses, which cumulatively covered 8.8 lakh km. 'People are happy with the convenience of using these buses for travel within the Panaji city,' Costa said. The official said the introduction of digital modes of payment for tickets has helped boost ridership. 'About 33 per cent of the fares collected came in through digital means like UPI, debit or credit cards, and most importantly through our smart transit card where people make a one-time purchase and then recharge it,' he said. The official said that close to 19,500 smart cards have been generated for bus users. 'The upward trend in footfall indicates how people are accepting this smart mode of transport. It is smooth, low-cost, and helps cut down pollution too,' he said. With more residents preferring to travel by these air-conditioned e-buses over their private cars and two-wheelers, the city roads have started getting decongested, the official said. 'The buses have helped lower emissions and fuel use, making daily travel cleaner. They have ramps to provide easier access to the physically challenged,' he said. Commuter Laxmi Desai said the e-buses are very comfortable, and she is particularly happy as tickets can be bought through UPI. 'It's very good for those who don't carry cash. The buses are nice and air-conditioned, so we don't feel stressed,' she said. Ashok Shetty, a businessman from Panaji, lauded the initiative. 'We now don't have to travel by bike or car,' he said. Like Desai, he said he also finds the UPI option convenient. 'I urge people to use these e-buses, which reduce traffic jams and pollution,' he added.
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
With e-buses, daily commute gets a quiet makeover in Panaji
Panaji, A fleet of clean, comfortable and silent electric buses has brought about a paradigm shift in public transport in Panaji city, amid a growing number of residents embracing the change. As part of the Centre's Smart City Mission, 48 such e-buses are crisscrossing the length and breadth of Goa's capital, ferrying thousands of commuters daily, under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited project. Jove Costa, Public Engagement Officer at IPSCDL, told PTI that several residents are ditching their private vehicles in favour of these electric buses. The fleet, which includes 12-metre, 9-metre, and 7-metre buses, has been introduced by the state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, under the Panaji Smart City project being implemented by the Pramod Sawant government in Goa, he said. Between July 2024 and March 2025, he said, nearly 1.7 million commuters travelled on these buses, which cumulatively covered 8.8 lakh km. 'People are happy with the convenience of using these buses for travel within the Panaji city,' Costa said. The official said the introduction of digital modes of payment for tickets has helped boost ridership. 'About 33 per cent of the fares collected came in through digital means like UPI, debit or credit cards, and most importantly through our smart transit card where people make a one-time purchase and then recharge it,' he said. The official said that close to 19,500 smart cards have been generated for bus users. 'The upward trend in footfall indicates how people are accepting this smart mode of transport. It is smooth, low-cost, and helps cut down pollution too,' he said. With more residents preferring to travel by these air-conditioned e-buses over their private cars and two-wheelers, the city roads have started getting decongested, the official said. 'The buses have helped lower emissions and fuel use, making daily travel cleaner. They have ramps to provide easier access to the physically challenged,' he said. Commuter Laxmi Desai said the e-buses are very comfortable, and she is particularly happy as tickets can be bought through UPI. 'It's very good for those who don't carry cash. The buses are nice and air-conditioned, so we don't feel stressed,' she said. Ashok Shetty, a businessman from Panaji, lauded the initiative. 'We now don't have to travel by bike or car,' he said. Like Desai, he said he also finds the UPI option convenient. 'I urge people to use these e-buses, which reduce traffic jams and pollution,' he added.
