MARGAO
Sewage water accumulation at the Comba subway welcomed thousands of students on Day one of the school re-opening on Monday, even as District Collector, South Swapnil Naik chaired a meeting with officials of various government agencies on taking measures to plug the sewage flow into the road under bridge.
No doubt, the PWD has repaired the approach road to the subway with a cement coat, while the electricity has repaired the lamps post-visit of TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai. Sadly, there was no stop to the flow of sewage water into the subway, indicating PWD’s utter failure to plug the seepage flow into road under bridge.
The District Collector, Swapnil Naik, who called a meeting of various agencies on Monday morning upon a request from GOACAN, directed PWD officials to conduct a fresh inspection of the sewage flow into the subway. He conceded that the sewage flow into the subway has not stopped till date, and suggested long-term measures to address the issue.
In the meantime, the Collector said he will issue directions to the PWD to deploy two staff at the subway for round-the-clock monitoring of the flood situation at the subway during monsoon. Taking into account the traffic snarls witnessed around the Comba area when the subway is closed for traffic during rains, the Collector said that instructions will go to the traffic cell personnel at the subway during peak hours to regulate and streamline traffic flow.
A senior official of the Vidya Vikas Mandal Sanjay Prabhudesai told the media that the student community is indeed facing a health hazard with no solution forthcoming from the authorities to plug the sewage flow into the subway. “It is shocking that the authorities have been just groping in the dark to contain the sewage flow when around 5,000 students and their parents use the subway everyday,” he lamented.
GOACAN representative Lorna Fernandes urged upon the district authorities to take up the subway issue seriously, suggesting both short-term and long-term solution to
the issue.
