PANAJI: AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik has demanded the immediate resignation of PWD Minister Digambar Kamat over what he termed serious engineering defects in the Rs 640-crore Porvorim elevated corridor, while questioning the involvement of IIM Nagpur in analysing the project.
Addressing the press on Monday, Naik said the flyover was a “permanent engineering problem” requiring a permanent engineering solution and demanded that Kamat and the IIM Nagpur team explain the institute’s technical qualifications to conduct the assessment. “This is a permanent engineering problem requiring a permanent engineering solution. An engineering defect cannot be handed over to a management school,” Naik said.
He questioned the credentials cited for IIM Nagpur’s involvement, claiming that its website mentions plans for a Centre for Logistics and Infrastructure Project Management, while its prior experience cited by the institute includes traffic management during the Kumbh Mela. “The PWD Minister and IIM Nagpur must explain the institute’s technical qualifications to conduct this analysis,” Naik said.
Naik alleged that the flyover was opened in haste without adequate entry and exit ramps, proper signage and other safety measures, linking the rush to the upcoming elections. He also alleged that the project involved serious engineering and planning deficiencies and demanded that all relevant files be examined to establish who approved the alleged deviations from standard road design guidelines and highway norms.
“Do not mislead the public with temporary patches. This is an engineering problem and requires an engineering solution,” Naik said.
