PANAJI:
Rather than a 'White' one, the ongoing excavations by Smart City contractors has ensured Panjimites and the hoards of visitors to the capital have had a dusty, brown Christmas and a promise of a darker New Year.
After having dug the city's roads in at least a dozen locations in November and early this month, contractors working on the sewerage project dug up more locations including the crowded Panaji Church Square and several spots along the arterial MG Road in the days leading up to Christmas.
At Panaji's Church Square, a pit was dug blocking the main access road to the Immaculate Conception Church to continue and complete residual work on the sewerage system on Sunday.
Earlier, roads excavated at some critical traffic circulation spots like the Taj Vivanta junction in St Inez, the four-arm junctions along the MG Road near Govinda building and the Don Bosco-Alfran Plazza junction in the market area have caused immense hardships for commuters and ground floor businesses due to traffic flow disruptions and dust pollution.
IPSCDL officials meanwhile say the road digging are inevitable to finish the residual works of the sewerage project left incomplete when roads were filled up and laid with fresh hot-mix carpets before the monsoon set in late June.
"The sewerage network and the Smart Roads were the two big projects that have much work left to complete. The new network of sewage chambers have to be linked at strategic spots to the old systems channels. It will be done and completed over the next eight weeks," a top IPSCDL official said.
Another big challenge is the laying of the sewage pipeline at the tail end leading to the STP at Tonca from Caculo Mall to the plant.
The IPSCDL official said it is a challenge since the pits have to be dug at least ten meters deep and water tables there a very high.
"There are also issues with soft and sandy soil there which collapses frequently. Also, with high water tables, water has to be constantly pumped out while work is being carried out," the official said, adding that the March 31 deadline will be met at all costs.
