MAPUSA
Even as residents rejoiced over the freshly tarred stretch of the Arpora“Nagoa road from Dream Circle up to the chapel, the Electricity Department has resumed underground cabling work further down the same route ” a project that had been halted ahead of the monsoon.
While the newly hot-mixed section remains untouched, excavation has begun beyond the chapel towards Arpora Tinto to complete the pending cabling work.
A source in the Electricity Department said the work was suspended before the rains and is now being taken up to avoid further delays.
“We had stopped at the start of the monsoon and are now completing the stretch up to Arpora Tinto,” the official said.
Despite understanding the need to finish the project, locals have expressed frustration at the timing and lack of coordination between departments. “We were so happy to finally see a smooth road before Diwali. But now, just a few hundred metres ahead, the road is again being dug up. If this work had been finished earlier, the entire stretch could have been completed together,” said Seema Naik, a resident of Nagoa.
Another local said frequent and uncoordinated works cause constant inconvenience. “Every year, one department finishes work and another starts digging. It’s time the government planned these projects properly,” Rajan Desai said.
According to a panchayat member, the panchayat has repeatedly requested departments to coordinate through local bodies before taking up such projects. “We appreciate that the Electricity Department is completing its pending work, but such projects should be planned so that the public isn’t repeatedly inconvenienced,” the member said, requesting anonymity.
Residents have now urged authorities to ensure proper restoration once the cable work is completed and to synchronise infrastructure projects in the future.
