Mapusa roads crave for coat of tar before rains

THE GOAN NETWORK | JUNE 07, 2023, 12:24 AM IST
Mapusa roads crave for coat of tar before rains

MAPUSA

The ongoing underground power cabling work has damaged several roads in Mapusa but the authorities concerned have failed to take up its repair work despite the delay in the onset of monsoon in the State.

Several key roads which were dug up to lay the underground cables have been re-filled with stones and rubble but during rains, these very stretches if not tarred could develop potholes and pose a huge risk to motorists and pedestrians.

The broken roads bring back memories of the streets that were dug up to lay the sewerage line in town which caused huge inconvenience to residents.

Citizens have slammed the councillors and the local MLA for failing to pay attention to the problem.

“If the roads are not tarred before the rains then we are asking for trouble. What are the chairperson and councillors of Mapusa doing? Don’t they have foresight? They should have taken up the patch-up work on top priority,” said Milind Raikar, a concerned resident of Mapusa.

“Nowadays, we can hardly see our MLA in Mapusa. He appears to be mostly out of station. We hope he pays attention to the needs of his constituents and attends to the problems facing the town,” said Savia D’Souza, a resident of Duler, Mapusa.

Some councillors have also started feeling pressure from the public and urged the chairperson to ask the authorities concerned to repair the roads immediately.

“The underground cabling work has been completed more than a month back but they have still not patched up the road with tar. Due to the uneven condition of roads, several accidents have taken place in my area. The condition will become worse in the rains,” said Nutan Bicholkar, councillor of Mapusa.

So far, the PWD which looks after the major district roads (MDR) and the local municipal council has failed to get their act together in giving priority to works which need to be completed before the onset of monsoon.

A senior official in the PWD informed that the tender to repair the roads has been passed but the file was pending at the acceptance level.

“Although the tender has been passed, the work order has not been issued. But we have asked the contractor to start the work because if it starts raining then we will not be able to carry out the work,” the PWD official told The Goan.

Mapusa Chairperson Priya Mishal assured to call a meeting of the local MLA and the PWD engineers to find a way out.

“We will hold a meeting within these two days to take an appropriate decision to start the repair work on the roads,” Mishal said.

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