The Bombay high court has ordered a time-bound traffic enforcement and pedestrian-safety overhaul along Panaji’s D B Marg, directing authorities to upgrade automatic number plate recognition cameras, create new no-parking zones, restore road signage and deploy traffic personnel until 9pm.
A division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar issued the directions to the state government and Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) in a suo motu public interest litigation on Panaji’s traffic plan. The case considered submissions from the advocate general, traffic police and amicus curiae Nigel Costa Frias.
Under the order, existing ANPR cameras on D B Marg must be upgraded within five months to detect unauthorised parking in addition to seat belt and red-light violations. The traffic cell of Panaji police has been directed to monitor violations and take prompt action against offenders. IPSCDL must also install additional ANPR cameras on the stretch between Mermaid Garden and Santa Monica Jetty.
The current camera locations identified in the proceedings are Kala Academy, Ferry Wharf, Customs House and Divja Circle. The court’s directions expand the camera network while assigning the traffic cell responsibility for enforcement, linking technology deployment to on-ground action against parking and traffic violations.
Pedestrian infrastructure is also covered by the order. The Public Works Department must repaint zebra crossings at Divja Circle, outside Mermaid Garden, near the Ambedkar Statue, Customs Junction and Ferry Wharf within one month. An additional crossing must be created near Hotel Mandovi and notified by the district collector within 15 days. Pelican signals are to be installed at all these crossings within five months.
The PWD has also been directed to install bollards or other barricades along D B Marg within a month to prevent vehicles from occupying footpaths. The Corporation of the City of Panaji must install or repair railings between Divja Circle and Ferry Wharf, while ensuring that openings remain available at zebra crossings.
Parking and pick-up arrangements will be changed at several points. The district magistrate must notify the area behind the Old Secretariat as a no-parking zone and designate it for taxi, bus and other vehicle pick-up and drop-off within 20 days. The stretch from the Old Accounts Building to the Abbe Faria statue, as well as the road leading to Hotel Republic/The Crown Goa, must be notified as no-parking zones on both sides within 15 days. The existing bus stop on the stretch will remain unaffected.
The superintendent of police’s traffic cell has been directed to deploy personnel in shifts until 9pm. The Panaji police inspector must take strict action against touts who stop vehicles along D B Marg, while the corporation must provide a vehicle-lifting van and labourers whenever required by the traffic cell.
Advocate general Devidas Pangam told the court that the corporation would restore all no-parking, no-entry and other traffic signboards across Panaji within a month. The order therefore sets separate deadlines for camera upgrades, pedestrian signals, road markings, barricades, parking notifications and enforcement deployment, with implementation shared among IPSCDL, the state government, PWD, the district administration, Panaji police and the city corporation.
