PANAJI
The noise around the two serious mishaps in the yet-to-be Smart City, Panaji, might have woken up authorities from a deep slumber, but it has definitely not stopped them from trying to hush up the matter.
Near-fatal mishap
A near-death accident of four labourers at St Inez has exposed the inefficiency and lethargy of every agency undertaking and monitoring the much-hyped road repair, beautification and sewerage work in Goa’s capital city.
Sources told The Goan that injured workers are back to their natives barely 48 hours after they were trapped under bricks that fell off a truck when it went into the pit after the road caved in.
To avoid negative media attention, Anirudh Shukla, Nitin Yadav, Vikram Yadav and Ballu Yadav were allegedly discharged soon after being treated in the Casualty ward of the Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim.
“Two suffered leg fractures; one sustained minor injury but a fourth labourer was critical because he was trapped beneath the laterite bricks affecting his nerves. He wasn’t responding and was bleeding profusely. They were rushed to the GMC for immediate medical care and discharged soon thereafter,” the source said.
Reckless construction and development works under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited are being long debated whereas government agencies have kept defending the blunder of tendering the works simultaneously. More so, safety measures such as strong barricades around the work site, deployment of marshals, lighting around the dug zones, etc are missing.
Compensation & booking
Sources further revealed that the four workers were compensated by their contractor Bagkiya Constructions Private Limited; and surprisingly, they are back in their hometown to recuperate. “They are doing fine. We have sent them to their native so that they recover well,” an official said.
The driver of the GA-04-T-3834-registered truck is booked for dangerous driving under section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, however, the government as well as the police are tight-lipped about action contemplated or initiated against the respective officials and contractors.
Second mishap
In what left the authorities red-faced, another accident shocked the State. Within four days of the first accident, a truck carrying raw sewage sank in the dug road at Tonca on Friday. Fortunately, no workers were at the site.
Safety violations
As per the details available, these works under the “Rejuvenation of Campal Area of Panaji City as a Green Space with Recreation Centre and facility for Smart Parking” project were tendered at a cost of Rs 34.94 crore. The work order was issued on March 14, 2022. The District Collector had issued a long list of safety measures to be undertaken while carrying out the work, which was blatantly violated. Not to anyone’s surprise, the local administration allegedly failed to ascertain that precautionary measures for the workers and commuters/motorists are implemented. It was only after the two accidents that iron barricades were put up around some places even as the structure and quality of the roads deteriorated.
No insurance
Amid the blame game, The Goan also learnt that by and large, Smart City workers are neither insured nor are they officially registered with the State. This is the plight of Goa’s capital city, which is largely excavated in a manner that has led to frustration among the citizens.
