Village panchayats take up removal after ageing lamp posts turn safety hazard and eyesore

Ornamental lamps installed along the Salcete coastal belt are now crumbling.
MARGAO
Nearly fifteen years after the government installed ornamental lamps along the Salcete beach belt, the structures are now falling apart and are being dismantled by local village panchayats.
The lamps, which have been non-functional for years, had become both a safety risk and an eyesore. While the project was originally implemented by the government, the responsibility of removing the damaged lamps has now fallen on the panchayats.
However, the process has not been easy. Varca Sarpanch Flavia Barretto said that when the contractor began dismantling the lamps, they found cables laid beneath the lamp posts.
“The panchayat has now decided to engage another contractor who is handling similar work in a nearby village. The dismantling will begin soon, as demanded at the gram sabha meeting,” she added.