CURCHOREM
Nearly a year has passed since roads were dug up at Betiabhat-Ambaulim as part of a JICA project. While the project has been delayed, the roads continue to be in a condition of disrepair, thus inconveniencing residents.
What has angered locals is the indifferent attitude of authorities in responding to their frequent demands and their failure to address their woes.
In a letter to PWD authorities at Quepem in April 2015, Pobre Fernandes of Betiabhat in Ambaulim-Quepem stated that roads were excavated in the area to lay pipelines, but no effort had been made to restore the roads to their original condition.
“As a result of the bad roads, many accidents have taken occuring in the area,” he said in his memorandum.
With the authorities ignoring his petitions that were submitted to them on October 25, 201 5 and November 11, 2015, Fernandes then sent a letter to the PWD minister on November 13, 2015. “Assuming that your department was working efficiently, I had written a letter to the Quepem PWD assistant engineer on April 23, 2015, regarding a demand to repair the roads which were dug up for to laying water pipelines. I had expected their assistance in this matter. After some days, I had sent another memorandum as a reminder in the matter. But no action was initiated. When I contacted your engineer, he told me that this is a JICA project, and that, they could not do anything in the matter,” Fernandes stated in his memorandum.
He has now hoped that the PWD minister would ensure that the roads are repaired at the earliest.
Copies of his letter have been forwarded to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, finance secretary, PWD executive engineer, JICA project director, Quepem MLA Babu Kavlekar and the Cuncolim MLA Rajan Naik.
But with no response forthcoming from authorities, aggrieved residents of Betiabhat-Ambaulim confronted Assistant Engineer of PWD roads at Quepem office on
December 24, 2015.
Later speaking to The Goan, the assistant engineer said he had assured locals that the pending work would be completed in the first week of January 2016. “I have been informed that the pending work from Quepem will be undertaken by JICA officials,” he had said.
When asked if he had initiated any action to address the plight of the locals, Quepem MLA Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar replied: “I have been pursuing this matter since last year. I have been told that the JICA contractor has been moving at snail’s pace for reasons best known to him. During a recent joint meeting of government officials at Quepem, JICA officials assured me that they would resume the incomplete work in the second week of January,” Kavlekar said.
When contacted, PWD Assistant Engineer (Roads) Pradeep Pednekar told The Goan that JICA officials have promised to complete the road repair work. JICA officials have written to the PWD informing us that the incomplete work will resume by the first or second week of January,”
he added.
