Flooding irks Duler locals, authorities look the other way rrthe goan I networkrMAPUSA rrWhenever there is a heavy shower, the main district road, opposite the Counto Showroom in Duler, turns into one large water pool, thanks to the careless attitude of the administration. rLarge amount of water gushing down from the Duler slope and other areas gets accumulated near the Counto Honda Showroom, flooding the entire road and throwing the whole traffic movement out of gear. rAt times when rains persist for long hours, the water even enters into the compounds of the local residents, disturbing the whole environment in the area. rIt’s not that the authorities were not tipped off about the menace created by the rain water but they either conveniently passed the buck or looked the other way. rThe residents of the area had written to the PWD (Roads) and Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) in March that the gutter from Mapusa municipal building to the Duler football ground had to be cleaned and covered with slabs to prevent people dumping waste in the gutters and thereby choking them. rBut for reasons best known to the department, the officials concerned chose to ignore the appeals of the residents. “Besides writing to the various authorities several times, I have been personally meeting the officials concerned requesting them to attend to the problem on priority. But so far all my appeals have fallen on deaf ears,” said Diago D’Souza, a resident from Bella-Vista. rHe said many mishaps have taken place in the area most of the times involving two-wheelers but the authorities have turned a blind eye to the issue. rPWD executive engineer (Roads) Atmaram Gaude informed that this year the department has not received any funds from the government to clear roadside gutters. “Some residents along the Duler slope had approached us. But since we have not received any financial provision to clean gutters, the work was held up. Nevertheless, I have informed the assistant engineer concerned to look into the matter,” Gaude said. rInterestingly, Mapusa Municipal Council’s much publicized pre-monsoon drive to clear the city’s major drains stands exposed. rAccording to MMC, Chairperson, Rohan Kavlekar, the drain at the Counto Honda Showroom appears to have been choked. “We are planning to break open the drain and probably replace it with floor grills to resolve the flooding problem,” Kavlekar said. Now, which department will undertake the job? Will it be PWD or MMC?
Govt officers promoted
Mapusa market and Khorlim are not the only areas which experience flooding during a heavy downpour. Duler, on the other side of Mapusa is also prone to flooding much to the annoyance of the local residents and motorists passing by the main road near the football ground.
