the goan I network
MARGAO
The Goa Forward Party and the Congress on Saturday launched an all out attack against the Pramod Sawant government on the pitiable condition of the roads across the State.
While Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai demanded a CBI inquiry into Rs 200 cr that was spent on roads last year, GPCC president Girish Chodankar shot a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant seeking action against officials who oversaw these road works.
Coming out of hibernation after lying low for the last two months, when he and the Goa Forward ministers were dumped by CM, the Fatorda MLA said an inquiry by CBI will help bring about accountability on road construction.
He also termed the Open Defecation Free (ODF) declaration as a big fraud, saying the ODF certification has been issued for Margao without verifying the sanitation amenities at the construction sites.
Taking a dig at the statement made by PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar that the potholed roads will be hot mixed by May 2020, Sardesai said the government has promised to repair the potholed roads by Chathurti. He, however, said it now appears going by the PWD Minister’s statement that the people, motorists and the tourists will have to grapple with potholed roads during the coming Dusshera, Diwali, Christmas and New Year festivities. “Why should tourists come to Goa. You are holding road shows to lure tourists and talk about vibrant Goa. But, what you have is a vibrating Goa, everything that is vibrating on roads”, he added.
“There ought to be a CBI inquiry into Rs 200 crore that was spent last year on roads. It appears that the road scam is worse than the fodder scam in Bihar”, he said, while saying that the ensuing tourism season will be hit if the roads are not in a motorable condition.
He also took exception to the hot mixing of the existing roads without scraping the existing hot mix, saying at many places the road height is more than the footpaths.
Terming the ODF as a big fraud, Sardesai said CCP Mayor and now the MMC say that the municipal officials did not check the ground reality before giving ODF certification to escape pull up from Delhi.
“It appears that officials have only checked the toilets of the residential premises and institutions, but turned a blind eye to the construction sites employing dozens of migrant workers. The Municipal officials are being pressurized to certify the city as ODF. MMC CO Naik was under pressure as a vigilance case is hanging over him. He seemed to have abdicated responsibility at the Civic body’, Sardesai added.
