MARGAO
In a unique protest aimed at highlighting the lack of coordination between government departments, Congress leader Savio Coutinho presented a bouquet of flowers to the sewerage department contractor who had recently commenced digging up a road that was freshly asphalted.
Accompanied by Adv Snehal Onskar and Ireneu Fernandes, Coutinho visited the site where the contractor was engaged in laying a 1.50km sewerage pressure line along the KRC station road near ESI Hospital in Margao. There, they presented flowers to acknowledge what they sarcastically referred to as a "grand achievement" in opening up the road, which had been resurfaced with hotmix less than a fortnight ago.
Speaking to the media afterwards, Coutinho criticised Margao MLA Digambar Kamat for boasting about the purported development works in Margao, alleging that such projects were often marred by shoddy execution, thus resulting in the wastage of public funds. Coutinho also highlighted that on October 28, 2023, the MLA had inaugurated the installation of rumblers along the same road, which were now buried under the recently applied hotmix carpet.
Adv Onskar condemned the authorities for the unplanned works, which had led to damage to a pipeline during the digging process. She warned that the repair work would necessitate shutting down the entire line, causing inconvenience to the public due to a lack of water supply.
Fernandes advocated for a system where department heads could be held accountable for works carried out without proper coordination, thereby preventing substantial losses to the exchequer.
