MAPUSA
It’s one of the most used service roads but following the heavy rains over the past few days, the pothole-ridden road at Guirim has virtually disappeared, making it difficult for motorists to negotiate the stretch.
The badly damaged road has made life miserable for motorists who cut in from the NH66 to this service road at Guirim while entering Mapusa town.
Locals and motorists have been appealing to the administration to repair the road for quite some time now, but the appeals seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
The particular stretch was already bad and The Goan had highlighted the problem just before the onset of monsoon.
“We had asked the PWD to repair the road on priority just before the rains since this is a very busy stretch. They failed to do the needful and with the first rains, the entire road is almost gone. Motorists are now facing the brunt of a casual administration,” said Fondu Naik, former sarpanch of Guirim.
The heavy downpour has also deteriorated the condition of several roads in Mapusa which were ripped open to lay the underground electricity cables before the monsoon.
Once again there seems to have been no coordination between the electricity department and the PWD to carry out proper patch-up work of the road.
The result is that the number of potholes has increased and their condition has worsened in the rains.
One side of the road from St Xavier’s College right up to the Housing board has also become treacherous.
A stretch of almost one-kilometre road from the Tar Bridge right up to the Mapusa market is riddled with potholes. The entire stretch becomes unmotorable, especially during pouring rain.
“I don’t remember when this road was last repaired. Due to heavy rain in the last few days, you can only see potholes here. Since this stretch is made one way after the Tar bridge we are forced to use this road,” Meena Naik, a resident of Nachinola.
Roads to the popular beach village of Anjuna have also been battered due to the incessant rain.
A stretch of almost 500 metres of a main thoroughfare at Vagator, Anjuna is full of potholes.
The road is in a pitiable condition and needs urgent attention.
“It looks like there is no road at all here. There may be more craters on this road than on the moon,” said a local from the area.
He further informed that this was an annual problem and every monsoon the road gets washed out.
