MARGAO
The missing Sonsodo road construction file has come back to haunt the Margao Municipal City Fathers and the Babus as the pathetic condition of the road has put the lives of the garbage drivers and workers to great risk.
When unscrupulous elements in the Margao Municipal Council got the “file missing” of the Rs 40 lakh tender for the Sonsodo road construction, little did they realise that the episode would end up in risking the lives of the Municipal garbage truck drivers and workers.
For, the road going to the Sonsodo waste treatment plant lies in an unmotorable state, posing danger to the garbage truck drivers and workers traversing every day to the waste treatment plant to unload the city waste. What’s shocking to note is the bitter fact that after the tender file went missing, the Margao Municipality has made no attempt to at least make the road motorable, leaving alone lay a carpet of hot mix.
And, with monsoons finally arriving, drivers driving the vehicles laden with garbage have complained of the hardships they face while traversing on the unmotorable road.
The Sonsodo road construction file had gone missing at the stage of issuing the work order to the successful bidder. The file tracking system showed the file at the chamber of the outgoing Chief Officer, Agnelo Fernandes. The ex-Chief Officer, however, had maintained that the file was taken to the chamber of the Municipal Chairperson, never to return back to his office. Since then, not only the file was declared as missing, but the Sonsodo road could not see the light of the day till date.
Sources informed that though an attempt was made to reconstruct the file, the process could not be taken to its logical conclusion over some legal issues. The successful bidder, sources informed, has also threatened to take the Municipal Council to the Court in the event the tender is scrapped by the civic body.
Garbage truck drivers and workers, however, have a question or two for the City Fathers and the Babus “ why is the road not being repaired with rubbles and stones, leave alone hot mixing the same?
A Municipal worker pointed out that the unmotorable condition of the road has put the lives of the workers engaged in garbage disposal at Sonsodo to risk. Pinning hopes on the new Chief Officer to come to their rescue, the garbage truck drivers and workers said the technical section at least carry out soling of the road to make it motorable, fearing the worst, including the entire stretch sinking during the ensuing rains.
