Margao petrol pump relocation plan stalls, choking city with traffic jams
Margao’s long-pending plan to shift petrol pumps from the heart of the city to its outskirts remains in limbo. As the western bypass diverts heavy traffic away, the need to ease congestion in the city core has grown. Yet, the relocation proposal seems forgotten, sparking fresh concerns about its status and long-term urban planning for Goa’s commercial capital.
Margao’s city centre still houses around seven petrol pumps, including four clustered near the municipal garden—an arrangement that continues to strain traffic flow in the core business district. The plan to relocate these fuel stations to peripheral areas had once featured prominently in South Goa’s road safety discussions. However, the issue appears to have slipped off the priority list, despite significant changes in the city’s transport landscape and urban sprawl in recent years.The opening of the western bypass and diversion of NH66 traffic have reshaped the city’s mobility needs. New petrol pumps have emerged on the outskirts—at Arlem, Gogol, Seraulim-Colva, and near Navelim—serving motorists entering or exiting Margao. While this development was expected to ease central congestion, the failure to relocate existing inner-city pumps means local traffic still clusters in the core, continuing to choke busy intersections and key access points during peak hours.
Experts note that the absence of fuel stations in Fatorda and its surrounding areas like Borda, Old Market and Dovondem forces residents to travel into central Margao or farther out to Arlem or Seraulim. Despite having multiple entry points to the bypass nearby, the lack of accessible petrol pumps adds unnecessary detours and traffic burden. Residents in these northern suburbs continue to face daily inconveniences for a basic service long overdue in city planning. Senior planners and civic observers question whether the authorities have deprioritised the relocation altogether. The original intent behind shifting the pumps—to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and reclaim urban space—remains unfulfilled. The addition of new pumps on the outskirts hasn’t been matched with action to decongest the city centre. Without decisive steps, Margao’s commercial core risks remaining gridlocked, with outdated infrastructure overshadowing recent bypass improvements and regional mobility upgrades.
The continued presence of petrol pumps in the heart of Margao reflects a larger failure to implement long-term urban reforms. While the city expands and bypasses reroute vehicles, the central fuel stations remain relics of an outdated traffic system. Unless the authorities revive and act on the relocation plan, the city’s core will remain congested, undermining the gains made through recent infrastructure developments.
