SMOOTH RIDE AT LAST: A newly hotmixed road in Siolim-Marna, completed just months ago, now offers motorists a hassle-free drive. Captured by : Agnelo Pereira
MAPUSA
Even as several roads in the city of Mapusa continue to remain in a dilapidated condition, surrounding village roads in Aldona and Siolim are seeing swift restoration and hotmixing works well before the onset of the monsoon.
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira on Tuesday launched multiple road restoration projects in his Aldona constituency, including the MDR-14 Nachinola junction to Jagbai Temple stretch, as well as the repair of roads dug up for underground electric cabling in Nachinola village.
First-time MLA of Siolim, Delilah Lobo, has also undertaken hotmixing of several roads across her constituency.
The contrast between the neglected roads in the city and the fast-tracked village works has raised questions, especially from city commuters facing daily inconvenience in Mapusa.
Ferreira himself acknowledged the issue and said he had strongly objected to the fact that important stretches in Mapusa have been ignored.
“I’ve raised the concern that roads in Mapusa are not being repaired. The contractor has now assured me that some stretches in Mapusa will be taken up on priority, as hotmixing cannot be done after May 15 due to plant shutdown,” Ferreira said.
Ferreira claimed he had to push persistently to get the works in his constituency tendered and executed, fighting delays and blocked files.
“It wasn’t easy. Files were being stopped, and tenders delayed. But I kept at it, and I’m happy that the work has finally started,” he said.
The restoration of the road following water pipeline installation in Nachinola has been carried out at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, while repair works for roads damaged by underground cabling will cost an additional Rs 15 lakh.
Ferreira stressed that road restoration in Aldona was being carried out systematically.
He also clarified why some roads appear incomplete.
“People often ask why work is being done in a piecemeal manner. That’s because this phase is for restoration. First, they lay WMM (wet mix macadam), followed by premix, and finally hotmix. After a monsoon cycle and proper settling, full-fledged hotmixing will be done,” the Aldona MLA said.
Ferreira said underground cabling is being taken up across the entire Aldona constituency in phases and assured that villages like Moira and Nachinola, which are still pending, will also be covered.
Meanwhile, residents and commuters in Mapusa city continue to await urgent repairs, even as surrounding villages see rapid progress, raising concerns about imbalanced infrastructure priorities between urban and rural areas.
