Stretch of bypass on stilts does not display any potholes raising eyebrows
The Benaulim stretch of the Western bypass is cracking up literally, and dotting with potholes and craters.
MARGAO
The Benaulim stretch of the western bypass is quite literally cracking up— giving nightmares for motorists as well as the authorities.
Just eight months after being inaugurated with much fanfare, after having bulldozed with the construction of the bypass through the marshy areas and flood plains of river Sal, by rejecting the demand for Benaulikars to build the bypass on stilts, cracks have appeared along this newly commissioned road.
In some places, the surface is marred by craters and potholes, sparking contentious questions: Why is a new road already deteriorating? And could this be linked to its construction through low-lying, marshy floodplains of the River Sal?
Local residents had long warned against building the bypass by raising an earthen embankment through the floodplains, demanding instead that it be constructed on stilts to prevent flooding.
Significantly, the damage is confined to a particular stretch—between the Benaulim underpass near Mercado Mall and the starting point of the elevated corridor opposite the Vidya Vikas Mandal complex. The stretch of the bypass on stilts does not display any potholes, raising a host of questions.
Sometime back, the PWD, National Highways had told the contractor to remove the potholes and craters, a direction which was quickly complied with. However, pot holes have not only returned back, but the road appears cracking up at some places.
A senior PWD official had mulled a study whether the damage to the Benaulim stretch of the bypass is due to the construction of the road through the huge earthen embankment in the floodplains.
A ride down the bypass road on Sunday has revealed that the road is indeed cracking up literally posing danger to motorists. Huge potholes were seen on the bypass stretch right opposite the Mercado mall has literally reduced the motorable stretch to just a meter and half. No caution barricades have been set up yet to alert motorists of the potholes ahead.
A further drive down showed that the stretch at Pedda-Benaulim where the service roads joins the bypass was damaged with numerous potholes. A gang of workers were seen working on the road to remove the potholes, but the downpour has made matters worse.
PWD officials have
mulled hot mix coat
A senior PWD official told The Goan that the contractor has been told to remove the top layer of the damaged stretch and lay a new hot mix coat to tide over the situation. This solution, however, will take some time before it is implemented by September end or early October given the continuous rainfall.
When specifically asked whether the damage caused to the stretch is due to the settlement of the embankment built in the low-lying marshy land, the official said it could be due to the consolidation taking place on the huge embankment that was raised to build the road. “We are taking all precautions to ensure there are no potholes on the bypass road. Since is it raining heavily, the contractor will take up the work of restoration by September end or early October”, he said.
To a question whether the government will have to bear the cost of repair work, the Official made it clear that the road will be repaired by the contractor as the damage has been caused during the Defect Liability period.
Waste dumping on
the western bypass
While the PWD contractor is on the job to remove the potholes and with the PWD mulling laying an entire hot mix coat to repair the road, questions are raised as to which agency will take care of waste dumping on the bypass road.
For, miscreants have started dumping waste on the bypass at the starting point of the bypass on stilts at Mungul. Though one has come across a small amount of waste dumped on the road side, it is feared that the bypass may become a favourite waste dumping site in the event the waste is not collected and disposed of by the authorities.
A motorist feared that unscrupulous elements have made a beginning by disposing of bundles of waste on the bypass road. “Unless the waste is disposed of by some agency, the site may become a black spot on the bypass”, the motorist feared.
