MAPUSA
It took years of potholes, repeated complaints and a bitter blame game between two government departments. But it took just a month of public pressure for the Colvale-Tivim road to finally get attention.
Road repaired
The badly battered stretch, which had become an accident trap for motorists, has now been repaired after the Water Resources Department (WRD) plugged the immediate problem of water dripping from the Tillari canal duct and the Public Works Department (PWD) subsequently tarred the entire affected stretch.
The quick turnaround has left residents asking an uncomfortable question: if the problem could be addressed now, why were motorists made to suffer for so long?
Protest raised
The issue had come to a head after Colvale Sarpanch Ritesh Varkhandkar raised a protest over the dangerous condition of the road and sought immediate intervention. The matter was subsequently highlighted by The Goan. Within weeks, the WRD covered the leaking Tillari canal duct passing over the road with tin galvanised sheets, ensuring that water no longer fell directly onto the carriageway but was channelled towards the sides. The PWD road section then moved in and tarred the entire damaged stretch, bringing relief to motorists who had been forced to weave through deep potholes.
Departments differ
The two departments had pointed fingers at each other.
The PWD maintained that repeated seepage from the Tillari canal duct was damaging the road and rendering its repairs temporary. The WRD had a different explanation, stating that the leaking duct was not the main reason for the deterioration and blaming inadequate road levelling and the absence of proper drainage, which allowed rainwater to stagnate on the carriageway. While the departments debated the cause, motorists continued to negotiate the treacherous stretch, which carries considerable traffic.
MLA criticised
Varkhandkar said the latest action showed that works affecting the public could be completed when there was a will to act. He thanked Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the WRD Minister Subhash Shirokdar for intervening, while expressing disappointment with local MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar for failing to resolve the issue. The road may have finally been fixed. But the episode leaves behind a bigger pothole – the question of accountability. Do government departments need a protest, public anger and media scrutiny every time an obvious problem has to be fixed?
