MARGAO
Has the PWD kick-started the exercise to conduct an audit on the status of railings at the bridges and culverts on major roads, including the National and State Highways?
PWD officials could not be reached on Sunday to shed light on the demand made in many quarters, post-Zuari bridge tragic accident, which claimed the lives of four residents from Loutolim.
But, welcome to Cuncolim, where motorists travelling on the National Highway No. 66 are left to wonder why the PWD, National Highway is content with make-shift barricades at the Uskinarik culvert, which was the scene of a major accident a month and a half ago.
Traffic barricades dotting the portion of the culvert are a common sight as motorists drive down to Cuncolim town, which was damaged in the accident after a heavy-duty container carrying fish had hit the railing before landing in the water. Questions are being raised why it has taken huge time for the PWD to execute the repair work of the concrete railing when the culvert in question is an accident-prone zone.
On August 8, an inter-state fish-laden truck had plunged into the culvert after crashing on the concrete railing. While the accident had raised many a question over the delay in widening the Highway into a four-lane road, what has raised questions is that the concrete wall has failed to come up at the culvert to date.
Around 4-5 make-shift traffic barricades have been put up along the culvert to ensure that vehicles do not land into the rivulet, only throwing up questions about whether the makeshift culverts are adequate to ensure the safety and security of motorists in the event of an accident.
Leave along the widening of the accident-prone zone road, residents have demanded immediate restoration of the concrete wall at the culvert to stop vehicles from landing in the rivulet. A resident Oscar Martins wondered why the Uskinarik culvert has been left unattended without a crash barrier or a concrete wall. “Is the PWD waiting for a major accident to wake up and put in place the wall. Work on the concrete railing or a wall ought to have been executed immediately after the accident given that the road is an accident-prone zone,” he said.
He added: “We have seen the PWD bypassing and circumventing tendering process to help their favourite contractors. But, here is a case wherein the PWD ought to have been proactive and not leave the culvert open for a disaster to happen.”
Martins has warned that people will be left with no option but to take to the streets to get the PWD officials to start the work on the culvert on priority.
