MAPUSA
Elections come and go and with them the assurances made by those in power.
Exactly a year ago, the foundation stone for underground cabling and beautification of the main Mapusa market road was laid on the eve of municipal elections with an assurance to complete it within two months, but unfortunately the work is still to see the light of day.
While laying the foundation stone for the project on February 22, 2021, Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza had said that his focus was on works that could be completed within a year and before his term could come to an end.
“These are the works we have taken on priority rather than laying foundation stone for projects that are going to take three to four years. My primary focus is to ensure that we are able to complete the projects within six months to one year,” D’Souza had said.
Unfortunately, a year has passed but the work has remained unfinished.
The project was undertaken by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore.
The work entailed overhauling and giving a smart look to the crucial road stretch from Sirsat building (Union Pharmacy) to the Mapusa Urban Coop Bank (Nandadeep).
As part of the plan, the overhead wires along the road stretch would be removed and placed underground. The road will also have a median with two-arm fancy light poles placed at regular intervals along the stretch.
The work was expected to be completed by April end last year.
Civic polls and now the assembly elections have also been done but the Rs 1 crore works has remained unfinished.
A senior official in the electricity department informed that a new transformer along the route has been installed recently but it was not made operational.
“The contractor has completed the work on underground cabling. The transformer can also be charged anytime,” the official informed.
Sources informed that Kenkre Electricals, who has been contracted with the work, has refused to complete balance work due to an issue of some pending payments.
GSUDA officials were unavailable for comments.
