MARGAO
Citizens of Canacona on Thursday threatened to shut all vehicular traffic on the Margao-Canacona National Highway 66 from March 1, if hot-mixing of the damaged highway is not carried out by February end.
A delegation of citizens comprising of Goa Forward leader Prashant Naik, Congress leader Janardhan Bhandari and others gheraoed PWD, Executive Engineer, NH Dattaprasad Kamat at the PWD Margao office on Thursday and set him the March 1 deadline.
The citizens told Kamat in clear terms that the citizens would block the NH66 between Margao and Canacona at least at 10-15 places to force the contractors execute work on the hot-mixing.
They demanded to know why the Executive Engineer, Kamat and the Chief Engineer are treating the contractors with kid gloves if the department had issued the work orders to start the hot-mixing work.
Charging the PWD engineers for being hand in gloves with the erring contractors, Goa Forward leader Prashant Naik cautioned the PWD to take their warning seriously, saying the patience of the people is running out since accidents have become the order of the day on the Margao-Canacona stretch of the highway.
He demanded to know from the Executive Engineer how come work order issued in 2020 to the contractors has not been executed till date.
“It is shocking that the Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer and the Executive Engineer cannot get the contractors execute work when the work orders were issued two years ago. This calls for serious action against the contractors,” he said, while warning that the citizens have been left with no option than to shut down the Highway from March 1.
Congress leader Janardhan Bhandari demanded to know how come certain contractors get the contractor and why action is not being initiated against the erring contractors. “The citizens had given so many memorandums to the PWD officials, but in vain. The time has come to shut down the Highway since the road has become unmotorable posing danger to motorists,” he said.
Executive Engineer Dattaprasad Kamat said the PWD has already issued the work orders to the contractor, but they have not started the work yet on the plea over shortage of material and rising prices of material.
“The contractors insist that they cannot start the work since the asphalt rates have gone up from Rs 36,000 to Rs 56,000. We had been after the contractors to mobilise the resources and get the things done and give relief to the people but in vain,” he added.
The protesters told the Executive Engineer to forward their memorandum to the Chief Engineer, warning that the people will lay seize on the Highway from March 1 if work does not commence by the deadline.
