the goan I network
MAPUSA
For many years, it has been a bumpy and painful ride for those commuting on the roads of Mapusa.
The digging undertaken by JICA to lay the sewerage pipeline destroyed several city roads. Although the agency has accomplished its job of laying the pipeline and repaired the roads they dug, the restoration work carried out by the contractor has left much to be desired.
At many places, the sewerage man-holes have turned into potholes, taking many motorists by surprise, particularly two-wheeler riders.
The patch work on some of the roads - court junction to Peddem, one-way stretch from Joao Menezes Pharmacy to the police station and the road from St Xavier's College to Pilarnkar Super Market - have turned the streets into mini-speed breakers, causing hardship to motorists.
The road opposite Xanu Pankar, in the heart of the city, has developed depressions at several places while the uneven man-holes have become a cause for concern.
Besides causing damage to running vehicles, it has become painful and distressing to citizens traversing on these roads. For reasons best known to them, the civic and the PWD authorities have failed to repair the roads.
In the last 10 years, none of the roads in Mapusa have been hot-mixed by the PWD. The civic body has also washed its hands passing the buck on the sewerage project.
Whatever repairs of roads have been carried out, have been done by the sewerage contractor and to some extent by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA).
But hot-mixing carried out by GSUDA appears to be of low quality and done in haphazard manner.
For example, GSUDA had planned to redesign and beautify the road from Union Pharmacy to Tar Bridge. But in reality it has managed to hot-mix just part of the road and the work has left a lot to be desired.
Besides, most of the works undertaken by GSUDA appear to be dragging on for months, causing a lot of inconvenience to the public.
According to the Urban Development Minister and Mapusa MLA, Francis D'Souza, most of the road works have been stalled due to GST imbroglio. "We had put up proposals to carry out regular hot-mixing of roads but because of GST it has been postponed," D'Souza said, adding, "I have now asked them to calculate the GST again and resubmit the proposals. So all the files have come back."
Although locals have borne the misery silently, many expressed unhappiness with the condition of city roads. "There are at least four to five roads in the city that are miserable, causing a lot of stress
to two-wheeler riders. We have to drive slowly to avoid painful jerks," a two-wheeler pilot said.
MAPUSA
For many years, it has been a bumpy and painful ride for those commuting on the roads of Mapusa.
The digging undertaken by JICA to lay the sewerage pipeline destroyed several city roads. Although the agency has accomplished its job of laying the pipeline and repaired the roads they dug, the restoration work carried out by the contractor has left much to be desired.
At many places, the sewerage man-holes have turned into potholes, taking many motorists by surprise, particularly two-wheeler riders.
The patch work on some of the roads - court junction to Peddem, one-way stretch from Joao Menezes Pharmacy to the police station and the road from St Xavier's College to Pilarnkar Super Market - have turned the streets into mini-speed breakers, causing hardship to motorists.
The road opposite Xanu Pankar, in the heart of the city, has developed depressions at several places while the uneven man-holes have become a cause for concern.
Besides causing damage to running vehicles, it has become painful and distressing to citizens traversing on these roads. For reasons best known to them, the civic and the PWD authorities have failed to repair the roads.
In the last 10 years, none of the roads in Mapusa have been hot-mixed by the PWD. The civic body has also washed its hands passing the buck on the sewerage project.
Whatever repairs of roads have been carried out, have been done by the sewerage contractor and to some extent by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA).
But hot-mixing carried out by GSUDA appears to be of low quality and done in haphazard manner.
For example, GSUDA had planned to redesign and beautify the road from Union Pharmacy to Tar Bridge. But in reality it has managed to hot-mix just part of the road and the work has left a lot to be desired.
Besides, most of the works undertaken by GSUDA appear to be dragging on for months, causing a lot of inconvenience to the public.
According to the Urban Development Minister and Mapusa MLA, Francis D'Souza, most of the road works have been stalled due to GST imbroglio. "We had put up proposals to carry out regular hot-mixing of roads but because of GST it has been postponed," D'Souza said, adding, "I have now asked them to calculate the GST again and resubmit the proposals. So all the files have come back."
Although locals have borne the misery silently, many expressed unhappiness with the condition of city roads. "There are at least four to five roads in the city that are miserable, causing a lot of stress
to two-wheeler riders. We have to drive slowly to avoid painful jerks," a two-wheeler pilot said.
