MARGAO
The State has just witnessed the first rains, but newly hot mixed roads in the commercial capital, including the National Highway road passing through the city, shows signs of cracking.
The National Highway road passing through the city, from Hospicio towards the Margao Municipality was hot mixed around April-May with a fresh coat of hot mix. Incidentally, the same road had been in the news for the last 2-3 years since craters along the stretch had been a regular feature since the laying of the carpet.
But, with the first rains, one can see the road washing away at least at four places. Citizens fear that the road may see the same fate as in the previous four years if the authorities do not take immediate steps to rectify the situation.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Council of Margao has said the substandard works executed by PWD road contractors is a regular feature.
SCM convenor Savio Coutinho said that PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral’s very first statement, that he will not compromise on quality of work, should not end with an apology only. The erring contractor should be made responsible for the immediate repairs of the roads at the contractor’s cost, and not through fresh tenders for repairs, he demanded.
He said the hot mix carpet laid just prior to monsoons in Margao has started getting washed away, with just the monsoons beginning. “We request the PWD Minister to check upon the reasons why Margao roads have got only the first layer of “Macadam”, when the tenders are specifying two layers of hot mix,” he said.
He added: “For mysterious reasons, we see that most of Margao roads are provided with the first layer of hot mix carpet initially, and the second coat is either laid after several months/ years or never laid at all. And since most of the tenders are titled as “Laying of hot mix carpet for various roads in Margao constituency”, it is practically impossible to know which work is part of what tender, Coutinho charged.
He said this type of shoddy work is mainly seen because the Goan contractors are pushed away on account of the huge “investments” involved in getting contracts from the department.
The Shadow Council has dared the government to blacklist even a single contractor responsible for substandard works, and prove its sincerity in this issue.
