THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
If roads are meant to take you somewhere, this 100-metre stretch of the main district road (MDR) at Guirim near Mapusa appears to have acquired a different purpose – giving motorists an unwanted ride through a series of giant potholes that can make vehicles rock, roll and rattle their way to the other side.
On a road that carries hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles every day, the massive potholes have turned what should be a routine drive into a careful exercise in manoeuvring.
Motorists are forced to slow down, dodge the craters and squeeze through whatever space is left between them and oncoming traffic.
For two-wheeler riders, however, there is little room for error. One wrong move or an attempt to avoid a pothole at the last moment could result in a rider losing balance and falling.
Locals say several minor accidents have already occurred along the stretch.
The danger increases after dark and during rain, when the potholes fill with water and their depth becomes difficult to judge.
The problem is compounded by the non-functional streetlights along the stretch, leaving motorists to negotiate the road with poor visibility.
Ex-sarpanch Sijay Salgaonkar said the stretch develops potholes almost every year, despite being an important and heavily used road.
He said the absence of functioning streetlights makes the situation particularly dangerous during the monsoon.
“When it rains, the potholes are filled with water and are not noticeable, putting motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, in a very uncomfortable position,” he said.
Residents said the deterioration was visible even before the monsoon, raising questions over why preventive repairs were not undertaken. With rainfall relatively subdued during the first two months of the monsoon, the damage initially remained manageable.
However, the revival of rains this month has transformed the smaller potholes into large and hazardous craters.
A local resident said the authorities had attempted to repair the stretch with a jet patcher last month, but the intervention appears to have offered little relief.
“The stretch was repaired with a jet patcher, but it has been of no use. The potholes have reappeared,” the resident said.
With the Guirim MDR continuing to carry heavy traffic, residents are seeking a permanent solution rather than repeated temporary patchwork.
The road condition has also raised questions over whether stretches showing signs of deterioration before the monsoon are being adequately identified and repaired in advance, particularly when they form part of busy arterial routes.
Attempts to contact PWD Executive Engineer Pankaj Narvekar for his response were unsuccessful as his phone was unreachable.
