MARGAO
Strange it may seem but true that a contractor has completed work of illumination along the Margao ring road in all respects, but the illumination is not commissioned for want of government’s expenditure sanction.
If motorists and pedestrians using the Comba-Old Market ring road come across illumination lamps along the stretch and still find the road in darkness, blame it on the delay in obtaining expenditure sanction from the government.
In fact, it will be three months since work on the illumination of the Comba-Old Market ring road was completed by the contractor, but the lights are not yet switched on for want of sanction.
If senior power officials are to be believed, the Electricity department had tendered the work of illumination of the Comba ring road stretch, connecting Margao to the Old Market area after following the laid down procedure.
Later, the department shortlisted the contractor as per the norms in place and in its anxiety to get the road illuminated right on time for the Diwali festival, celebrated as the Festival of Lights, Power officials told the contractor to execute the work on a war footing assuming the expenditure sanction will come from the government as a matter of formality.
The contractor, sources said, took up work on priority around mid-September, raising hopes the ring road stretch will be illuminated during the National Games inaugural ceremony at the Nehru stadium at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but in vain.
When The Goan asked Superintending Engineer Rajeev Samant to shed light on the Comba ring road project when the illumination lamps are all in place, he conceded that work on the project is complete. He, however, has hastened to add that the project could not be commissioned till date for want of completing certain procedure.
