the goan I network
MARGAO
However, the three works “ widening and beautification of the Arlem-Ravindra Bhavan Road, widening of the Ravindra Bhavan-Nehru Stadium Road and the Ravindra Bhavan-Old Market Colva circle junction “ will be executed and completed long after curtains come down on the two-day summit in mid-October.
Hardly around 10 days to go for the BRICS summit, when heads of governments from the five countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are expected to converge at Salcete’s coastal belt for the two-day summit.
The Arlem-Nehru Stadium Road widening, estimated to cost Rs 18 crore “ Rs 14 crore for civil works and Rs 4 crore for illumination and beautification “ was specifically sanctioned by the government in view of the BRICS soccer final at the Nehru Stadium. The project, however, has not started till date with the PWD still in the process of finalising the contractor for the major road work. A senior PWD engineer told The Goan that the PWD has finalised the technical bid and the financial bid will be opened after obtaining certain clarifications from the two contractors, who have bid for the tender. The official, however, added that the project will take around six months to complete in all respects, adding that though the project was sanctioned in the name of BRICS, it may finally see the light of day earlier next year.
Similarly, work on the the stretch of road between Ravindra Bhavan-Nehru Stadium, estimated to cost around Rs 1 crore, will also take some time to materialise as the work involves land filling and construction of a retaining wall, but it will take a month or two for the work to be completed in all respects. So far, the 38 coconut trees standing tall along side the road stretch have been removed and replanted along the wholesale fish market road by local MLA Vijai Sardesai.
That’s not all. While the government had sanctioned beautification of the Ravindra Bhavan-Old Market circle road on the lines of Delhi’s Rajpat, at a cost of Rs 1.70 crore, work is yet to take off till date.
Sources in the PWD admitting in private said that whether all these road works were sanctioned by the government in the name of BRICS or not, they will not see the light of day in the next 10 days before October 14 “ the day when the two-day BRICS summit will get underway along Salcete’s coastal belt at Benaulim and Cavelossim.
